Since the beginning of 2023, the bed tax for foreign tourists has brought in ₸314 million to the budgets of local state authorities, QazMonitor reports citing the ministry of culture and sport.
The amount of tourist fees is determined by the regional administrations, with the funds distributed among the local executive bodies. The leading contributor in these inflows is the city of Almaty, accounting for 86% of the total bed tax revenue, or ₸270.6 million. Astana follows in second place with ₸37.7 million in tourist fees.
"Funds from the tourist fees should be directed towards the development of tourist infrastructure, improvement of territories, and the implementation of measures to promote tourism opportunities. This will stimulate an increase in the number of tourists visiting the regions," said Dastan Ryspekov, the chair of the tourism industry committee.
The bed tax is a fee collected by the executive bodies for each day a foreign tourist rents a room in a hotel, motel, or other temporary lodging place. Present in more than 50 countries around the world, it serves as additional tax revenue for local governments.