BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1. Kazakhstan decided to amend the “Bed-tax” imposed on tourists and introduced a fixed fee instead of the previous approach when tourists paid a percentage of the cost as a tax, Trend reports, citing the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken".
The fixed tax system will have different rates depending on location. Guests in Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent will have to pay 1,725 Kazakh tenge (around $4), while tourists visiting other regions will be charged 690 Kazakh tenge (around $1.24).
Previously, the introduction of a 5 percent was considered. However, eventually, these plans were scrapped.
Earlier, it was estimated that 2.5 billion Kazakh tenge ($5.4 million) will be collected as a result of a tax introduction in 2023.
Kazakhstan experienced a surge of incoming tourists after the COVID-19-related restrictions were eased. Around 610,000 foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan in 2022, compared to 330,000 visitors in 2021.