ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s resort areas received 510,800 visitors traveling for business and professional purposes in the first half of 2026, with the Almaty Mountain Cluster accounting for 77.3% of the total, according to an analysis by Ranking.kz. The figures highlight the growing role of business tourism in the country’s tourism industry, as companies increasingly combine professional events with leisure and wellness activities.
Photo credit: gov.kz.
Business tourism, also known as MICE tourism, encompasses meetings, incentive trips, conferences and exhibitions. In Kazakhstan, the sector is developing along two main directions: hosting international events in major cities and organizing business gatherings directly at resort destinations.
International events generate revenue
The first direction has significant export potential. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Kazakhstan hosted 13 major MICE events in 2025, generating nearly $18 million in revenue, up 20% from 2024.
Almaty plays a key role in this segment. International events held in the city contributed nearly $3 million to its budget in 2025. The second direction involves organizing business events outside major cities, including off-site conferences, national and international exhibitions, industry forums, seminars and corporate incentive programs at resort destinations.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, business tourism at Kazakhstan’s resort areas has grown in recent years. In 2024 and 2025, the number of visitors staying at accommodation facilities in these areas for business and professional purposes reached record levels, exceeding 1.1 million. Nearly one in four guests staying at hotels and recreation facilities in resort areas traveled for business purposes.
Almaty Mountain Cluster leads resort destinations
In January-June 2026, resort areas welcomed 510,800 business and professional visitors. Kazakhstanis accounted for 64% of the total, while foreign visitors made up 36%. The Almaty Mountain Cluster was the leading destination, attracting nearly 395,000 business travelers, equivalent to 77.3% of all visitors traveling to resort areas for professional purposes.
The cluster has increasingly become a destination not only for holidaymakers but also for visitors combining work and leisure. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of business and professional travelers staying at hotels in the area increased 2.5 times.
In 2025, hotels in the Almaty Mountain Cluster accommodated 925,700 business and professional visitors, up 7.1% from 2024.
Business travelers contribute to tourism revenue
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, accommodation facilities in Kazakhstan’s resort areas provided services worth 91.2 billion tenge (US$202.1 million) in the first half of 2026.
Spending by foreign visitors traveling to Kazakhstan for business purposes also increased. According to the Bureau of National Statistics’ visitor expenditure surveys, their total spending in the first half of 2026 rose 5.4% compared with the same period in 2025.
Expenditure on accommodation increased 9.7%, while spending on food rose 7.7%. The strongest growth was recorded in culture-related spending, up 24.1%, followed by recreational and sporting activities, up 22.2%, and medical and wellness services, up 13%.
According to Ranking.kz analysts, the spending patterns may indicate that business trips to Kazakhstan are increasingly combined with leisure, cultural experiences and wellness activities.
The growth of MICE tourism in major cities and resort destinations offers Kazakhstan an opportunity to broaden its tourism market, generating additional revenue for hospitality and related services.
