Almaty Hotels Lose Foreign Guests As Prices Rise

Hotel revenues in Almaty have fallen sharply for the first time in five years, Orda.kz reports, citing DATA HUB.

According to analysts, nominal revenue in the sector fell by 1.9% in the first quarter. But inflation made the decline much deeper: in real terms, hotel earnings dropped by 12.5%.

Before this, Almaty hotels had seen revenue grow for four years in a row. In the first quarter of 2023, the sector recorded a particularly strong jump, with revenue doubling. Now the market has gone into the red.

Analysts believe the main reason is that staying in Almaty has become too expensive for tourists. Over the year, hotel services in the city rose by 11.9%. Against this background, the number of guests fell by almost 5%, to 472,900 people.

The biggest blow came from the decline in foreign visitors. Their number fell by 10.4%, to 130,000 people. The sharpest drops were recorded among tourists from India, Russia, Turkey, Singapore and Kyrgyzstan. Domestic tourism also declined, but more moderately, by 2.5%.

The statistics include not only large hotels, but also hostels and tourist camps. However, nine out of 10 tourists in Almaty still prefer to stay in hotels.

Original author: Eva Golovintseva

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