«Digital tourism in Kazakhstan – 2025»: leading it solutions presented
Kazakhstan is set to unify its tourism sector into a single digital ecosystem. This initiative aims to eliminate fragmentation in tourism services and integrate key stages of the travel experience — from trip planning to accommodation and feedback. This was announced by participants of the «Digital tourism in Kazakhstan – 2025» forum held in Almaty. The key event showcased cutting-edge technological solutions and emerging trends in the tourism and hospitality industries.
The large-scale forum brought together over 300 participants, including leading representatives from the tourism business, tech companies, and startups from Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. Notable attendees included inDrive, Yandex, Mastercard, Sabre, Mapster, and others. The event was organized by Kazakh Tourism and the company Pana, with support from the Travel Startups community.
During three panel discussions, key topics were explored, including the digitalization of the tourism sector (TravelTech), the role of government digital services in tourism development (GovTech), and digital technologies in the hospitality industry (HotelTech). Participants paid special attention to enhancing customer experience through IT solutions and explored new opportunities for travel business stakeholders.
One of the forum’s highlights was the launch of PanaApp, a mobile application for booking accommodation across Kazakhstan. The uniqueness of the service lies in its integration of biometric identification, a CRM system for property management, and Key-Free access technology. The app also includes intelligent algorithms to filter and block suspicious bookings that pose a high risk of property damage or disruptive events. The company additionally announced plans to establish a venture fund of up to $100,000 to support tourism businesses.
Another key highlight of the forum was a startup pitch competition featuring 30 innovative IT projects in the travel sector, all with working prototypes. Following the preliminary selection round, the 10 most promising travel startups were awarded cash prizes and the opportunity to present their solutions to potential investors and partners. These included a mobile guide, an app for selling tours across Kazakhstan, an onboard tour sales system, hotel automation software, a short-term rental management platform, a property search aggregator, and other tourism-focused innovations. The total prize fund amounted to 10 million tenge.
«At the most recent Government meeting, digitalization of the tourism sector was given special attention, confirming its high priority at the national level»,- noted Yerzhan Erkinbayev, vice minister of tourism and sports. «Kazakhstan has already introduced tools such as the Kazakhstan.travel portal available in eight languages, QR code systems at airports, and the eQonaq guest registration platform. However, the digital journey for tourists remains fragmented. This underlines the need for further development of digital solutions and integration of new data sources — from mobile operators to electronic payment systems. Such a comprehensive approach will help create a transparent and user-friendly digital environment for both tourists and industry stakeholders».
The «Digital tourism in Kazakhstan – 2025» forum marked a milestone for the country’s tourism industry, outlining key growth vectors for the development of smart solutions, enhancement of service quality, and the creation of a sustainable tourism ecosystem.
