Problems and prospects of the territorial development of the tourism system in the Almaty region

Introduction: The tourism sector is recognized as an important sector of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a member state of the UN, Kazakhstan integrates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the State program for the development of the tourism industry. The incomplete implementation of the SDGs in Kazakhstan has causes of global and regional level. Materials and Methods: Statistical indicators for tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan indicate a stable positive dynamics of the tourist flow in the country. The Almaty region has the highest rates of tourism activity, which has favorable historical, cultural and unique natural prerequisites. Results and Discussion: In the general tourist flow of the region, local tourism prevails. The indicator of inbound tourism in the Almaty region as a whole with the largest city of the Republic of Kazakhstan Almaty is the highest in the country. The target state setting for the prospective development of tourism assumes an increase in the share of tourism in the total GDP of the Republic of Kazakhstan by 2025 by 33%. Conclusions: In the study, in accordance with the concept of territorial and functional development of tourism and recreation in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the terminology of the urban planning direction, three key hierarchical levels of organization of tourist and recreational entities were formulated: regional, district, local – “tourist and recreational region”, “recreational agglomeration”, “tourist and recreational area”. The regional level corresponds to the Almaty tourist and recreational region, the recreational agglomeration - Taldykorgan and Almaty tourist and recreational agglomerations. Within the boundaries of the region, five tourist and recreational areas have been identified.