KITF 2026: INTERNATIONAL TOURISM MARKET TO MEET IN ALMATY

TOURISM IS EXPERIENCING ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN DECADES: ROUTES, SALES MODELS, AND TRAVELER EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING.

In these conditions, the key question for the industry becomes the sustainability of tourist flows and the adaptation of businesses to the new geopolitical and economic reality. Participants of the largest professional event in the Central Asian industry, the Kazakhstan International Exhibition "Tourism and Travel" KITF 2026, which will be held in Almaty from April 22 to 24, will seek answers to these challenges.

The KITF 2026 exhibition will bring together leading representatives of the tourism business, airlines, national tourist offices, hotel chains, and technology companies to discuss key industry trends and form new partnerships.

About 400 companies from 22 countries are expected to participate, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Vietnam, Georgia, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Cyprus, China, Maldives, Malaysia, Mongolia, UAE, Russia, Romania, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Japan. Each year, the geography of participants confirms KITF's status as a key B2B platform for the tourism industry in the entire region.

Traditionally, the exhibition will feature various segments of the tourism market: international and domestic tourism, medical tourism, MICE industry, IT solutions for booking and travel management, as well as educational tourism and the development of inbound tourism in Kazakhstan.

New formats and international participants

In 2026, the exhibition will present a number of new formats and directions. For the first time, KITF will feature a podcast zone with communication expert and author Viktor Eliseev, where interviews and discussions with industry experts and media representatives will take place.

Among the participants joining the exhibition for the first time are Antalya Airport, Trabzon region, Seoul Tourism Organisation, Zendia Japan, Turkish Airlines, Xiaomi, Sinoasia B&R (SABR), Kavaya Travel and other companies, as well as national and regional stands of Egypt, Cyprus, the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the state of Goa.

Among the exhibition participants are both new players, such as Online Express and Vietra Tour, and industry leaders - the largest tour operators-charterers: KOMPAS Touroperator, FUN&SUN, Kazunion, and Selfie Travel.

Traditionally, a leading place at the exhibition is occupied by the collective exposition of Kazakhstan, which presents the tourist opportunities of the city of Almaty, Karaganda, Aktobe, East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Atyrau, Kyzylorda regions, and the Zhetysu region.

A special project of the exhibition will be the KITF Silk Way sector, implemented jointly with the Kazakhstan Association of Auto-Moto Tourism. The platform will be dedicated to the development of independent travel, caravanning, camping, glamping, and automotive routes, which are becoming increasingly popular among modern tourists.

New travel directions and tourism development

Over the years of its existence, KITF has become an important indicator of the development of the region's tourism market. In 2025, the exhibition was visited by 5,556 professionals from 36 countries, and 534 companies from 31 countries participated, confirming the high interest of the international tourism community in the Central Asian market.

This year, special attention will be paid to the key issue of the industry: how to ensure stable and safe tourist flows in conditions of geopolitical instability, and how the tourism industry can adapt to new economic and technological realities.

The business program of the KITF Travel Forum 2026 will be held over three days and will cover key issues of tourism industry development. On April 22, experts will discuss anti-crisis strategies for the industry in the case session "Tourism in the context of geopolitical risks: what to do right now", financial stability of businesses in the lecture hall "Taxes. Finance. New survival", as well as market development in the sessions "Season routes: charters, new directions and the economy of the 2026 tour package" and "Aviation strategy 2026: short-range, new markets and year-round Asia", concluding the day with the VISION TALK discussion "World map for the Kazakhstani tourist".

On April 23, the program will be dedicated to the transformation of the industry and traveler behavior - the master class "Guest 2026: how tourist behavior has changed", the discussion "Who will sell travel tomorrow? New sales architecture: travel agent, AI or marketplace?", the panel "Safety and trust 2026", as well as sessions on medical, sports, and event tourism, and the development of inbound tourism in Kazakhstan.

On April 24, the KITF Tourism Innovation Day will be held, dedicated to new tourism development strategies, innovations, and presentations of travel startups.

The event is officially supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Almaty city, JSC "National Company Kazakh Tourism", and the Kazakhstan Tourism Association.

The exhibition is organized by the Kazakhstan exhibition company Iteca in cooperation with its international partner - ICA Events Group.

You can view the business program schedule and register on the official exhibition website: https://kitf.kz/ru/