Analysis of trends in the development of medical and health tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Health tourism represents one of the fastest growing segments of tourism in the world, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.  Kazakhstan, which has the potential for further development of health tourism, is poorly represented both in the domestic and international markets. The purpose of the article is to identify the key directions and trends in the development of medical and health tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan.  The scientific significance is determined by the in-depth study of the industry, which makes it possible to identify the prospects for its development and increasing the competitiveness of Kazakhstan as an attractive destination for medical and health tourism. In this work, the analysis of global modern trends in the development of medical and health tourism is carried out, its role in the general structure of the tourism industry is shown on the basis of statistical and content analysis. In addition, a comparative characteristic of various approaches to the interpretation of the category of medical and health tourism is presented. Based on the data of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an assessment of the current state of medical and health tourism in the country is made. As a result, conclusions are drawn about the unevenness of the development of medical and health tourism, the regions of Kazakhstan are identified and ranked depending on the degree of development of the type of tourism under study.