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Central Asia emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism regions in 2025, with travel and tourism contributing $20.1 billion to the regional economy.
An analysis based on World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) data showed that the sector’s economic contribution grew 17.7% during the year, the highest rate among the regions covered. Tourism GDP, by comparison, increased 8.7% in Northeast Asia and 7.6% in Southeast Asia.
Tourism-supported employment in Central Asia rose 9.5%, while spending by international visitors jumped 26.4%.
Despite the rapid expansion, tourism remains a relatively small component of the region’s economy. It accounted for 4.3% of regional GDP in 2025, down slightly from 4.5% in 2019 before the pandemic. The decline in its share reflects broader economic growth across Central Asia.
The surge has been driven largely by intra-regional travel and visitors from neighbouring Russia. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan together accounted for 90% of recorded inbound arrivals in 2025.
Uzbekistan’s official statistics, for instance, showed that visits to relatives made up the largest share of foreign visits recorded for tourism purposes during the first eight months of 2025.
Comparisons between countries should be treated with caution, however, as governments use different methods to measure tourism, including whether they count border crossings or individual visitors.
Uzbekistan remained the regional leader in terms of tourism’s contribution to its economy. The sector accounted for 6% of GDP in 2025, generating $8.3 billion.
Even so, tourism’s economic importance in Uzbekistan remains well below that of established destinations such as Spain, where WTTC forecast tourism would account for almost 16% of GDP in 2025.
Kazakhstan has the largest tourism economy in Central Asia in absolute terms, with the sector contributing $9.3 billion in 2025. Tourism accounted for just 3.2% of the country’s GDP, however, reflecting the much larger role of industry and trade.
The growth has continued into 2026. Kazakhstan welcomed three million foreign travellers during the first quarter, according to the country’s Bureau of National Statistics. Uzbekistan was the largest source, accounting for 1.1 million visitors, followed by Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Revenue generated by accommodation providers increased 13.9% compared with the same period a year earlier.
WTTC forecasts that Kazakhstan’s tourism sector will expand by nearly 13% in economic contribution in 2026.
Central Asia’s tourism industry is therefore expanding rapidly and generating substantially higher revenues. However, visitors from neighbouring countries and Russia continue to dominate the regional market, leaving longer-haul international tourism with considerable room for further growth.
