Ecotourism is growing in Kazakhstan, between the steppe and the mountains of Asia
Opportunities for eco-friendly travel experiences in Kazakhstan are on the rise, thanks in part to new incentives for the development of community-based tourism
- In 2023, Kazakhstan's national parks were visited by 2.4 million people, around twenty per cent more than the previous year
- The country is encouraging the establishment of family-run agritourism businesses and activities linked to "responsible" low-impact tourism
- Among the most popular destinations for an authentic, nature-immersive travel experience are Kolsai Lakes National Park, in the Almaty region, and Katon-Karagai National Park, in the southern Altai mountains
"For some, the Kolsai lakes represent a powerful force. For others, they are a place of faith. But there is one thing everyone agrees on: these places leave no one indifferent, not even on misty mornings." Aliya Temirova is from Saty, a village of just over a thousand souls in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. At her home, the air is filled with the scent of pastries and traditional dishes she cooks for tourists every day. And since 2022, together with her husband and brother, Aliya has been managing several yurts (the circular dwellings typical of the peoples of Asia) where passing adventurers stay in the Kolsai-Kolderi National Park, on the northern slopes of the Tian Shan mountains, in south-eastern Kazakhstan. Aliya Temirova is indeed one of the Kazakh entrepreneurs who in recent years have succeeded in launching a small family business built on ecotourism — that is, the "responsible", low-impact form of tourism that is becoming increasingly widespread in this Central Asian country as well.
New ways to visit Kazakhstan
Ecotourism is a form of responsible tourism grounded in environmental and cultural heritage conservation and the sustainable development of local communities. Thanks to initiatives such as the programme of subsidised loans for rural residents known as "Eco-Damu", launched by the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, people like Aliya Temirova have been able to start a new business centred precisely on eco-friendly travel.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism, interest in ecotourism in Kazakhstan is growing at a notable pace: in 2022, for example, the national parks were visited by two million people, while in 2023 that figure rose to 2.4 million. Compared with 2020, the numbers have more than doubled today.
"I first visited Kazakhstan in 2009 and in recent years I have genuinely noticed a shift towards ecotourism," Gianluca Pardelli, photojournalist and founder of Soviet Tours, a tour operator specialising in travel to former Soviet countries, told LifeGate.
"Until about ten years ago, the only accommodation options for tourists were hotels for foreigners or dilapidated Soviet-era lodgings; there were no budget options that allowed visitors to engage with the local cultural reality. Today, however, even in Kazakhstan a network of guesthouses and homestays is developing, inspired by the Community-based tourism (CBT) model already adopted in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan: a tourism management model that places local communities at its heart."
Indeed, in recent years Kazakhstan has launched several initiatives to promote family-run accommodation, such as incentives for farmers aimed at establishing new agritourism businesses, which according to local authorities should create employment opportunities for more than ten thousand people.
"In general, the classic activities associated with ecotourism are also on the rise, such as horse riding trips, culinary workshops with local families, visits to beekeepers — Pardelli said —. Then of course there's trekking, which is particularly popular in the Altai region and in the mountains around Almaty."
Among waterfalls and high-altitude lakes
Among the most visited destinations for tourists, including international visitors, are the Kolsai-Kolderi national park, in the Almaty region, and the Katon-Karagai national park, in the southern Altai mountains. Characterised by dense forests and picturesque mountains, waterfalls and high-altitude lakes, these parks are part of Unesco's World Network of Biosphere Reserves; they are home to rare animals on the Red List of endangered species and hundreds of endemic plant species.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, these parks play a key role in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, and their development has a positive effect on employment and economic growth in the regions. For this very reason, new tourist routes are being created, new sustainable business models are being introduced, and virtual tours are being developed to promote these areas.
Although the figures are still relatively modest, the Kolsai Lakes national park has begun to attract tourists from abroad as well. The total number of local and international visitors has increased nearly tenfold over the last ten years, reaching two hundred thousand visitors in 2022. Aliya Temirova's yurts (built from wood and hand-decorated by local craftspeople) are located right here, three kilometres from one of the lakes.
"The yurt is the traditional dwelling of our ancestors, and today it is the most sought-after option among foreign tourists — Aliya said —. We are currently promoting our services through social networks, but we aim to list them on international booking sites as well, precisely in order to attract travellers from abroad."
Aliya's story is similar to that of Lyudmila Vysotskaya, who in 2021 received a subsidised loan to expand her beekeeping business in the Turkistan region, in southern Kazakhstan. With the funds obtained, Lyudmila's family purchased one hundred queen bees and the equipment needed to expand the operation.
"After retiring, my husband Yuri and I decided to devote ourselves to beekeeping. In Kazakhstan, beekeeping has developed mainly in the Almaty regions, in eastern Kazakhstan and in Turkestan, where there are meadows, mountain pastures, orchards and fruit trees — in short, ideal conditions for keeping bees. It is valuable work, which brings not only income but also great benefits to agriculture," explained Lyudmila Vysotskaya.
An opportunity for renewal in rural areas
Among all the former Soviet countries, Kazakhstan is one of the most modern and one of those that has best managed to capitalise on the network of tourist services developed during the Soviet era.
From a logistical and infrastructural standpoint, Kazakhstan is not starting from scratch: a tourism culture existed even under the USSR, and the country is now drawing inspiration from its neighbour Kyrgyzstan, where community-based tourism is already fairly well developed.
Gianluca Pardelli to LifeGate
"The greatest challenges for Kazakhstan will probably be those related to marketing — convincing foreign tourists to go ecotourism in the Altai mountains rather than the Pyrenees or the Carpathians — Pardelli added —. Moreover, proximity to Kyrgyzstan could also prove to be a limiting factor: Kyrgyzstan offers more competitive prices and is renowned for its many ecotourism destinations, making it a strong competitor in the sector. Nevertheless, the Kazakh government is demonstrating a greater open-mindedness towards this type of offering: community tourism, the so-called Community-based tourism, represents an important source of income for those rural areas where there are no other resources, and which after the collapse of the USSR were stripped of any economic and industrial infrastructure."
In short, ethical, low-impact tourism not only offers a more authentic and nature-conscious way of travelling, but also represents an important source of livelihood for rural communities, helping to strengthen the bond between local populations and their territory.