Uzbekistan Tourism Plan Targets Caves and a Salt Mine

Uzbekistan has approved a plan to develop nine caves and a salt mine for tourism. The program announced by the Tourism Committee on October 5 covers development work through 2028 at sites in Jizzakh, Samarkand, Surkhandarya, and Kashkadarya. Alongside work on visitor routes, regional authorities are to help nearby residents establish family guesthouses, while local guides will be able to take specialist training courses. Travel and tourism contributed $8.3 billion to Uzbekistan’s economy in 2025, equivalent to 6% of GDP, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates. Annual forums for domestic and foreign investors are planned from 2027 to attract private funding. Boybuloq in southern Surkhandarya, one of the selected caves, has deep shafts and water-filled passages that make exploration technically demanding. Under the September 30 government resolution, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has three months to draft rules for visits, and a certification system for guides and instructors is due in June 2027. Among the other sites is Teshiktosh in the same region, where the discovery of a Neanderthal child’s remains in 1938 established the cave’s archaeological importance. Construction at sites with cultural heritage status will require approval from the Cultural Heritage Agency, while work in protected natural areas must be cleared by environmental authorities. Khojaikon, the selected salt mine in Sherabad district, has salt-coated galleries leading to an observation deck overlooking the Surkhandarya mountains. The roadmap sets April 2027 as the deadline for approving tourist routes. The completed visitor infrastructure is scheduled to enter service in January 2029.

Kazakhstan Tourism Investment Tops $4.8 Billion as Arrivals Rise

Kazakhstan recorded more than $4.8 billion in tourism investment in 2024 and 2025. Current projects include new hotels and mountain resorts, while the government is upgrading transport links to tourist areas as foreign visitor numbers rise. Investment in tourism reached 947.5 billion tenge ($2.08 billion) in 2024 and rose to 1.26 trillion tenge ($2.75 billion) in 2025. Kazakhstan has 328 tourism projects under way worth about 1.3 trillion tenge, or roughly $2.85 billion. These include new Hilton and Mandarin Oriental properties, as well as an expansion of the year-round Oi-Qaragai mountain resort near Almaty. The government expects the projects to create 25 new international-standard hotel complexes and around 10,000 permanent jobs. Revenue from hotels and other registered accommodation facilities also rose from 229 billion tenge, or roughly $500 million, in 2023 to 350.6 billion tenge, or about $770 million, in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, the figure rose 13.9% year-on-year. Kazakhstan is also trying to extend the tourism season through year-round mountain tourism and a growing events calendar. Kazakhstan received 15.7 million foreign visitors in 2025, of whom authorities classified 11.1 million as tourists because they stayed in the country for more than one day. Spending by foreign visitors in the country totaled about $2.9 billion. Around 1.43 million foreign visitors used registered hotels and other accommodation facilities, although the figure excludes those staying with relatives or friends and those using unregistered accommodation. From Football to the World Noman Games The 2025 UEFA Champions League match between Almaty’s Kairat and Real Madrid attracted more than 5,000 foreign visitors to the city. Fans arrived from China, India, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, and other countries. Kairat reached the league phase of the Champions League in 2025/26 but was eliminated in the third qualifying round this season, making the Real Madrid match a one-time attraction rather than a recurring source of visitors. Concerts offer a more repeatable version of the same model, with Jennifer Lopez and the Backstreet Boys performing in Almaty in 2025 and Deep Purple, Megadeth, Ricky Martin, and Enrique Iglesias following in 2026. Cirque du Soleil performances and major music festivals have also become part of the city’s events calendar. According to Mastercard, spending on international cards in Almaty during the Kairat-Real Madrid match rose 16% compared with the average for the two weeks before and after the event. It rose 11% during the Jennifer Lopez concert and 3% during the Backstreet Boys concert, while spending on Mastercard cards issued in Spain rose 81% during the Real Madrid match. The Jennifer Lopez concert attracted around 7,000 foreign spectators from 35 countries. Authorities estimated their direct tourism spending at more than 5 billion tenge, or roughly $11 million. The fifth World Nomad Games in Astana in 2024 attracted international visitors and extensive global coverage. Organized tours from the United Kingdom had sold out before the competition opened. Neighboring Countries Still Dominate Arrivals In the first half of 2026, Kazakhstan reported around 7 million foreign arrivals. The largest...