15 Million Tourists Visited Kazakhstan, Authorities Still Don’t Know Where Many Stayed

Kazakhstan’s authorities have shared new data highlighting the country’s recent tourism achievements.

According to Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabosynov, 10.5 million domestic tourists were recorded in 2024 — an increase of 900,000 compared to 2023. Even more notable, 15.3 million foreign tourists visited the country. 

Orda.kz has looked into the matter.

The 15.3 million figure does not include those who arrived for work or permanent residence. Of this total, 10.4 million stayed in the country for more than a day and are officially classified as tourists. 

According to official statistics, only 1.3 million of the total number of tourists were officially registered and included in formal tourism statistics.

This gap makes it difficult to precisely calculate the actual flow of tourists. 

Nine million are not registered in any accommodation facilities. They may have stayed with relatives, their hosts might not have reported their stay, maybe they lived in tents, or maybe the hotels do not provide accurate statistics,said Deputy Minister Yerkinbayev at a government briefing.  

Data on foreign visitors is collected through the Border Service of the National Security Committee, while information on domestic tourism is based on registrations in accommodation facilities.

To get a clearer picture, the authorities plan to give the National Bureau of Statistics access to data from mobile operators and analyze tourist spending through bank card transactions.

According to the National Bank, the average foreign tourist spends around $1,500 in Kazakhstan over a three—to four-day visit.

The Ministry of Tourism is aiming for more precise, detailed data — broken down by country and by bank card transactions — to better understand who is coming, where they’re from, and how they’re spending their money.

Since 2023, Kazakhstan has been using the eQonaq information system to track and analyze tourist flows.

Around half a million people are already using the system, though it still has its shortcomings and doesn’t function perfectly.

Key features introduced with the eQonaq system include:

• The responsibility for registering a foreign guest lies with the host — whether it's a hotel, a landlord, or a private individual
• The system helps create a "tourist profile," including details such as the purpose of the visit, length of stay, and more
• eQonaq is integrated with the migration police database under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, allowing for a more complete and accurate picture

However, it has become clear that many citizens and businesses are not fulfilling their legal obligation to register foreign guests, which violates the law.

Authorities are planning a broad information campaign to remind everyone that anyone hosting a foreign visitor must register them in the eQonaq system.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov