Tourism projects in Kazakhstan: glamping, eco-hotels, bathhouses and resorts

What tourism business can you start in Kazakhstan

I divide tourism projects near Almaty into four groups by who pays and how often.

The first is accommodation in nature. Glamping, modular eco-hotels, guesthouses in villages near Kolsai and Charyn and in the foothills. Guests come for 1–3 nights and pay for the view, the quiet and the service.

The second is bathhouse and spa complexes. Their main customer lives in Almaty and comes every week or once a month. That makes revenue steadier than at a glamping site, but it needs a lot of electrical capacity and water.

The third is lake and beach holiday bases in Konaev, at Alakol and Balkhash. The money comes mostly in summer. The fourth is ski projects and everything around them, from equipment rental to cafés. The most expensive to get into, and the most dependent on the state and on land.

How many tourists come to Kazakhstan: 2025 statistics

According to the government's background note to the tourism review (June 2026), accommodation facilities served 10.1 million visitors in 2025. Foreign tourists in hotels numbered 1.4 million, 132,000 more than a year earlier. In total, 15.7 million foreigners visited the country for various tourism purposes, not counting those arriving to work or settle permanently.

One figure that matters for an investor: the total income of accommodation facilities grew by 50.8 billion ₸ to 350.6 billion ₸. Tourist spending on all trips over the year is estimated at 1.13 trillion ₸, of which domestic travellers spent 659 billion ₸.

China is growing fastest. According to Kapital.kz, 962,000 tourists came from China in 2025, 47% more than in 2024. These guests need clear routes, payment by familiar methods and menus without surprises.

Glamping in Kazakhstan: does this format pay off

Glamping wins on speed of launch: dome tents or modular cabins go up in months, without heavy foundations. According to ministry data cited by Kazpravda, the number of glamping complexes in the country grew from 28 to 38 in a year. The market is young, but there's already competition near Almaty, so a second identical dome next to a neighbour's does worse.

What sets apart the successful projects I've seen: travel time of up to 1.5–2 hours from the city, a private bathroom in each unit, a bathhouse or hot tub on site, a kitchen serving proper food, and year-round heating. A summer-only glamping site loses half the year.

A bathhouse complex or spa near Almaty: what to consider

The bathhouse format sells well in Almaty to companies and families. But technically it's one of the most complex facilities: stoves, a pool, plunge pools, ventilation, water treatment. All of this needs tens and sometimes hundreds of kilowatts of capacity, a well or mains water with good pressure, and sewerage that can handle pools being drained.

As a builder, this is the first thing I look at. A beautiful plot in the foothills without power capacity turns into building a substation at your own expense. So I check power and access before we talk about price: they decide whether the facility opens on time or a year later.

Ski and lake resorts: where a private project is possible

Large ski resorts need lifts, snowmaking, roads and almost always land in protected areas. For a private investor it's more realistic to move into the area around a resort: a hotel, equipment rental, a café, parking, apartments on the access road.

For owners of lift equipment, the state reimburses 25% of the cost of cable cars, snow groomers and artificial snowmaking systems. At the lakes everything rides on the summer season, so I calculate a project so that three summer months cover a year's costs.

What state support is there for tourism businesses in Kazakhstan

According to Ministry of Tourism and Sport data published by inbusiness.kz, there are seven measures. For an investor in facilities, the main ones are these.

• Reimbursement of 10% of the cost of building and renovating tourist facilities
• Reimbursement of 10% of the cost of roadside service facilities: motels, cafés, petrol stations, pharmacies
• Reimbursement of 25% of the cost of lifts, snow-clearing equipment and snowmaking for ski resorts
• 15,000 ₸ to a tour operator for each foreign tourist who stays at least 4 days and 3 nights and is registered in eQonaq (the national guest registration system)
• Subsidised loans and investment preferences for large projects, including international-brand hotels

Land for a tourist facility: category, designated use and protected areas

This is the most important section for a foreign investor. Land in national parks and other specially protected natural areas isn't sold. Plots there are sometimes granted for long-term use for tourism through a tender, but without the right to permanent construction. There's no legal way to buy such a plot "from someone you know", whatever you're promised.

The second trap is agricultural land. Many plots near the mountains and lakes are designated for agriculture. Agricultural land is prohibited for foreigners and companies with foreign participation, and changing its category goes through the akimat (local administration) and can take a long time. If a plot is needed for glamping or a bathhouse, I look for land designated for building and servicing a leisure or tourism facility, or build in time for changing the designation from the start.

The third is water protection zones and strips along rivers and lakes. Construction in them is restricted. A partner lawyer checks the exact rules for a specific plot against current maps.

Example payback calculation for a glamping site near Almaty

This is an illustrative example based on my own assumptions, not data from a real project. An 8-unit glamping site 1.5 hours from Almaty. Investment excluding land: finished units about 50 million ₸, plus power, a well, a septic tank, a bathhouse and paths for about another 40 million ₸. Total 90 million ₸.

Average price per night 45,000 ₸, average annual occupancy 40%. Revenue: 8 × 365 × 0.4 × 45,000 ≈ 52.6 million ₸ a year. Costs for staff, food, utilities, marketing and repairs are roughly 55% of revenue, leaving about 23.7 million ₸ before tax. Payback about 3.8 years.

Now the pessimistic scenario: 25% occupancy. Revenue drops to 32.9 million ₸, while costs barely fall, because you need staff and heating regardless. Profit shrinks to a few million, and payback goes beyond 10 years. That's why I always calculate a project at the worst occupancy first and only then look at the attractive scenario.

Risks of tourism projects in Kazakhstan

• Seasonality: spring and November are almost empty, while summer and holidays bring maximum occupancy
• Land in protected areas, agricultural land and water protection zones: you can invest in a facility that is later declared illegal
• Electricity and water: connecting power outside the city can cost more than the units themselves
• Staff: in remote villages it's hard to find and keep employees
• Competition: identical glamping sites in one gorge share the same guests
• Dependence on the road: repairs or a closed highway can cut the flow for a season
• The tenge exchange rate: imported units and equipment get more expensive along with foreign currency