During the International Astana Forum which started on June 8 the Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, Askhat Oralov, mentioned that tourist cashback could be introduced in Kazakhstan, Turanews.kz reports.
Sharing his plans for the development of domestic tourism Askhat Oralov, “We want to introduce a tourist cashback, taking into account international practices, to promote our new destinations in Kazakhstan, such as the Ulytau and Abai regions, as well as many other routes where we aim to attract a large number of tourists. This initiative is still in progress. We are currently working on developing the necessary legal acts, and then we will submit a budget request in accordance with the current legislation. I believe we will launch it next year,” the Minister said.
The essence of this initiative lies in the fact that the state will reimburse a portion of the costs to individuals who purchase tour packages to visit tourist attractions in the Ulytau region. “The state will provide a conditional reimbursement of 20% from the entire tour package, not just the air ticket but the complete package. This is intended for the citizens of Kazakhstan in order to promote domestic tourism. The cashback will be available for all operators. The purpose of this initiative is to foster the development of the tourism industry in various regions. If a person visits Almaty or Astana, the reimbursement amount will be lower due to the already developed nature of these destinations. However, if they visit regions like Mangistau, Ulytau, and Abai, they can receive a refund of up to 20%. This project is still being worked on, and we hope it will be operational next year,” he said.
