LocationsHow Kazakhstan is taking a new approach to managing tourism in natural areas
September 28, 2026
The Singing Dune, one of the most visited natural attractions in Altyn-Emel National Park.
Nature-based tourism is becoming increasingly popular in Kazakhstan. Protected areas are drawing growing numbers of people who want to explore mountain lakes, canyons, forests and other natural attractions. But as interest grows, so does a new challenge: how can these places remain open and accessible to visitors without putting excessive pressure on the ecosystems they protect?
During the warmer months, Kazakhstan’s most visited national parks can become crowded. Queues of cars build up at park entrances, popular trails see a constant flow of visitors, and groups gather around viewpoints.
A group of tourists on the “Sairamsu Legends” mountain trail in Sayram-Ugam National Park.
The rise in visitation is also clear in the numbers. In 2023, Kazakhstan’s national parks received more than 2.4 million visitors. By 2025, that figure had climbed to 3.7 million. In the first six months of 2026 alone, the parks welcomed 1.7 million visitors.
Much of this growth is concentrated in a handful of the country’s most popular destinations. Burabay National Park received more than 600,000 visitors in the first seven months of 2025, while Ile-Alatau National Park welcomed more than 500,000 and Kolsai Lakes National Park more than 350,000.
At first glance, it may seem that there is enough space to accommodate so many visitors: Kazakhstan’s national parks cover tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares. But visitors are not spread evenly across these vast areas. Most head to the same lakes, gorges, trails and viewpoints.
So the question is not simply how many people a national park can accommodate as a whole. What matters is understanding how much pressure a particular trail or natural site can withstand, and what happens to it as visitor numbers grow.
Lower Kolsai Lake, Kolsai Lakes National Park.
It is not just about the number of visitors
Assessing recreational pressure based solely on the overall size of a protected area is not enough. The number of visitors per hectare does not tell us what is happening along a particular trail.
A single trail can come under significant pressure even when much of a national park remains largely untouched. Congestion can build up on access roads, informal trails can emerge alongside official routes, vegetation can be trampled and soils can become degraded.
This is why the methodology for assessing recreational pressure, developed by the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, is based on the principle of adaptive management - adjusting decisions in response to the condition of a particular natural area.
According to Alexander Artemyev, Associate Professor at the Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and one of the methodology’s developers, the approach draws on international experience.
“This practice is similar to approaches used in national parks across Central Europe and the United States, where adaptive management is applied. But it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all formula. Each area requires an approach tailored to its specific conditions,”says Alexander Artemyev.
The calculation is not a one-off exercise. Once the initial assessment has been completed, the area needs to be monitored continuously.
“The tool allows for initial assessments, but monitoring then becomes an essential part of the process. Without sustained attention to this issue - collecting data, analysing it and responding promptly - the system will not work,” Artemyev adds.
Alexander Artemyev has spent many years studying sustainable tourism practices in Kazakhstan.
Every trail has its own limit
To determine how many people a particular trail can accommodate, the first step is to calculate its physical capacity. This takes into account the length of the trail, the distance between groups, the average group size, the time needed to complete the route and the length of the tourist season.
The methodological guidance illustrates this calculation using the trail to Lower Kolsai Lake as an example. With a trail length of 3.7 kilometres, 20 metres between groups, an average group size of 10 people and other specified parameters, its physical capacity is estimated at around 1.52 million visits per year. But this does not mean that 1.5 million tourists can safely be sent along the trail. It is simply a calculation of the trail’s physical capacity under the specified conditions.
The next step is to assess the condition of the natural area itself. Is the vegetation cover remaining intact? Is the soil being degraded? Is erosion occurring? Is there sufficient infrastructure?
Signs of pressure can be observed directly in the field. Specialists assess whether trails are widening, whether new informal routes are appearing, whether soil is being degraded and whether there is sufficient infrastructure — including parking areas, sanitation facilities, signs, fencing, boardwalks, bridges and waste collection points.
The same principle applies beyond mountain trails. On beaches and in coastal areas, for example, assessments can look at the condition of the shoreline, exposed soil, erosion and waste accumulation. The indicators vary depending on the type of landscape, but the principle remains the same: it is important to look not only at how many people are visiting, but also at the condition of the place they are visiting.
Zerendi, a popular tourist destination in Kokshetau National Park.
The capacity of a trail depends on more than the trail itself. There may not be enough parking spaces at the entrance, while sanitation facilities may become a limiting factor even earlier.
The goal is not to Llmit visitors, but to redistribute the flow
As Serik Aidabosyn, an expert who worked on the methodological guidance, explains, once the calculations have been completed, specialists need to determine which measures are appropriate in each particular case.
“The methodology helps identify where pressure is occurring and what factors are contributing to it, so that specialists can make decisions on the ground,”- said expert.
The measures can vary: opening a new trail or extending an existing one, changing the direction of movement, creating a loop or one-way route or developing alternative visitor attractions.
At Kolsai Lakes, for example, most visitors remain around the first viewpoint and Lower Kolsai Lake itself, even though the trail continues further. Only a small number continue along the route. One approach being considered is a loop trail around the first lake, which would allow some visitors to take a different route and reduce the concentration of people in one location.
Serik Aidabolsyn gained practical experience from the management practices of national parks in the United States.
80% of capacity: а signal for protected area management
When actual visitation on a trail reaches 80 percent of the established capacity, park management should assess whether additional measures are needed.
This does not mean automatically closing the trail. It is a signal to check whether the infrastructure is coping and whether signs of excessive pressure are emerging. If visitor pressure is indeed increasing, timely measures can be taken - from improving infrastructure to redirecting part of the visitor flow - before growing numbers lead to more serious changes and impacts on nature.
A tool that can be used on the ground
To make the methodology practical for day-to-day use, it includes a built-in calculator. Park staff enter information about a trail and its condition into a table and receive a calculated result. The tool can be used directly in the field, including without an internet connection.
“You can calculate it on a phone, get an immediate result and use it directly to manage the park. That is what makes it valuable,”says Alexander Artemyev.
The calculation thus becomes a practical working tool for specialists managing specific areas of national parks.
The work is only beginning
The methodology has already been sent to protected areas across Kazakhstan. Its provisions have been piloted in around five to six national parks. The first results of its application are expected after the 2026 tourist season.
There is no single formula that can be applied equally to every protected area. Each has its own trails, terrain, infrastructure and patterns of visitor flow. The methodology therefore provides a common approach, while specific decisions are made locally, based on observations and regular monitoring.
From “How many people can it take?” to “What are we trying to preserve?”
“It is not only about counting visitors. Sustainable tourism in natural areas requires understanding what happens to nature as visitor numbers grow — and adapting how tourism is managed in time,” experts say.
This means that the approach to managing national parks is gradually shifting away from searching for a single number that should not be exceeded, towards continuous monitoring and adapting management decisions.
The road to Charyn National Park.
The goal is neither to accommodate as many visitors as possible nor to keep people out of natural areas, but to find a balance that allows people to experience and explore Kazakhstan’s natural heritage while keeping ecosystems healthy and resilient.
For UNDP, developing this approach is part of broader efforts to support sustainable tourism, conserve biodiversity and strengthen the capacity of Kazakhstan’s protected areas.