Kazakhstan ranked 52nd among 119 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index for 2024. This marks a steady climb from previous rankings:
- 2021: 66th place among 117 countries,
- 2019: 80th place among 140 countries,
- 2017: 81st place among 136 countries,
- 2015: 85th place among 141 countries.
The index evaluates countries based on 102 indicators across 17 pillars within five categories: enabling environment, policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure and services, resources, and sustainability. Kazakhstan’s highest scores were 5.98 in health and hygiene within the enabling environment, 6.14 in price competitiveness under policy and enabling conditions, and 5.50 in socio-economic impact in sustainability.
Kazakhstan received top ratings in the following areas:
- Price competitiveness (2nd place),
- Socioeconomic impact of tourism (5th place),
- Health and hygiene (23rd place),
- Natural resources (30th place),
- Cultural resources (48th place),
- Human resources and labor market (43rd place),
- Tourist services and infrastructure (47th place).
Regionally, Kazakhstan leads Central Asia, outperforming Uzbekistan (78th), Tajikistan (99th), and Kyrgyzstan (102nd). Neighboring countries include Costa Rica at 51st place and Qatar at 53rd.
Kairat Sadvakassov, Chairman of the Kazakh Tourism national company, shared his enthusiasm on Instagram: “This is fantastic news! Our long-term goal is to break into the top 50 of this index, and now we’re just two spots away. This achievement stems from the coordinated efforts of central government bodies, local executive bodies, associations, businesses, and universities. This is a collective victory—congratulations to everyone! We must continue our momentum to not only reach the top 50 but aim for the top 30 as well.”
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.