Kazakhstan hosts nearly 500,000 foreign tourists during summer season

ASTANA. Sept 21 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan hosted an influx of nearly 500,000 foreign tourists during the past summer season, with visitors exploring various areas throughout country, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said in a statement.

"Based on eQonaq data, around 448,000 foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan during the three summer months, with about 65% being men, and the majority were ages 30 to 44," the ministry said.

Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, hosted the most tourists at 139,000 visitors, Astana was second at 68,000 visitors, and the Almaty Region placed third at around 34,000 visitors.

Western Kazakhstan was also a popular destination among foreign tourists, with over 28,000 visiting the Mangystau Region and over 25,000 visiting the Atyrau Region. The Akmola Region hosted around 21,000 foreign travelers. Other regions, like Zhambyl, Aktobe, Karaganda, and North Kazakhstan, hosted over 14,000 foreign tourists.

"The overall number of foreign guests in Kazakhstan has surged by 80% since the beginning of the year. The country is expected to host around 1.4 million foreign tourists in 2023," the ministry said.