EAEU Countries Promote Tourism as a Top Economic Priority
Adopting the Strategic Directions for the Development of tourism until 2025 gave this program a boost in 2020
Sports, education, tourism, and healthcare were shown to be important areas for cooperation.
The unveiling of Eurasian tourism route maps, which include information on 419 sites, 38 itineraries, and transit alternatives.
These maps seek to improve infrastructure and make traveling between member nations easier.
The economic potential of tourism
With its substantial economic benefits, tourism continues to be one of the industries with the quickest rate of growth.
During the September Eurasian Economic Forum in Armenia, Bakhyt Sultanov, the EEC Minister for Economy and Financial Policy, stated that tourism sustains one in ten employment, provides roughly 10% to the world GDP, and accounts for over 7% of global investments.
Given the close proximity of member states, Sultanov emphasized how tourism may spur economic growth, job creation, and entrepreneurship inside the EAEU.
Notwithstanding its potential, tourism’s GDP contribution in EAEU member states falls short of worldwide averages.
In 2023, tourism made up 2.8% of Russia’s GDP. However, ambitious initiatives are in motion to develop new tourism offers and improve infrastructure in order to raise this percentage to 5% by 2030.
Similar to the Kyrgyz Republic, which likewise reported a 3.2% contribution from its GDP in 2023, Kazakhstan recorded a 3.2% contribution from tourism to its GDP in 2022.
With tourism accounting for 1.4% of GDP in 2020, Belarus recorded a more modest figure, suggesting potential for growth in the industry.
Rankings and data on visitors on tourism
Out of 119 nations, Kazakhstan came in at number 52, Armenia at number 72, and the Kyrgyz Republic at number 102. The rankings did not include Belarus or Russia.
With each member state providing various benefits like rich histories, natural marvels, cultural landmarks, and unique assets, experts point to the EAEU’s enormous potential for tourism development.
The evolving tourist scene across the EAEU member states is highlighted by visitor figures.
Between January and September 2024, more than 1.7 million visitors from EAEU nations traveled to Armenia,
More than 741,000 of the visitors were Russian. Additionally, Armenia had 4,703 visitors from Kazakhstan and 7,796 visitors.
8.8 million foreign visitors, including 2.4 million from Kazakhstan, visited the Kyrgyz Republic in 2023.
With more than a million trips in the first half of 2024, Russia continued to be a popular travel destination.
With 566,500 international tourists in the first half of the year—a 50,700 increase over the same period in 2023.
Russia (186,000), China (69,918), India (53,695), Turkey (30,312), and the United States (19,597) were the top visited.
In September alone, 597,000 people visited Astana for major events including the World Nomad Games and a concert.
A wide range of tourism experiences, such as adventure, cultural, historical, and health, are available in the EAEU. To increase service quality and draw in investments, experts are advocating for consistent standards.
During the Eurasian Economic Forum, Philipp Gulyi, the chair of the Belarusian National Union of Tourism Industry, stated that “unification simplifies processes for investors and ensures consistent service quality across the union.”
The upcoming 2025 EAEU Development Concept seeks to strengthen cooperation, set service benchmarks, safeguard travelers’ rights, and keep route maps current. Additionally, member states will have the chance to suggest revisions to accommodate changing travel patterns.
Compiled by
World Travel News, Gorilla Trekking Uganda and Gorilla Trekking Rwanda
