Kazakhstan plans to build three new airports in 2025, and some of the sites have already been selected, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism. The aim is to make the entire country more accessible to tourists.
Therefore, one of the airports would be located near the Sino-Russian-Mongolian-Kazakh quadrilateral border, close to the Katon-Karagay National Park. This is Kazakhstan's largest national park, covering more than 6,000 square kilometres of unspoilt mountainous areas of scenic beauty.
The second airport would also be located in eastern Kazakhstan, near the city of Zaysan, on the site of a former military base. This area is also known for its natural beauty: Lake Zayshan, the largest freshwater lake in the region, is located here.
Construction is expected to start next year.
More extensive air connectivity is important because Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, with an area of 2.725 million square kilometres.
Tourism plays an increasingly important role in the country's economy: from 4.2 million visitors in 2016 to 10.7 million in 2019. Although growth has slowed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the sector is starting to rebound. Infrastructure improvements are expected to attract tourists to more remote parts of Kazakhstan and boost the local economy.
