Almaty's Oi-Qaragai Resort Secures $130M Expansion for Year-Round Tourism Boom

Almaty Region Wraps Up Ski Season as Resort Expansion Kicks Off

The winter ski season has drawn to a close in Almaty Region, with construction and installation work now underway at local tourist bases. According to the Visit Alatau tourism information center, an investment agreement has been signed for the Development of the Oi-Qaragai Mountain Resort project in Talgar District.

This 105-hectare ski park, nestled in the scenic foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau, first opened its doors in 2019. The resort features ski lifts, cable cars, and groomed slopes, while nearby amenities include restaurants serving national cuisine, a hotel, and rental shops for sports equipment. Visitors come to enjoy skiing, sledding, snowboarding, and even tubing on inflatable chambers. Most guests hail from Almaty, though the resort also attracts international tourists.

Over the coming years, investors plan a major expansion of the resort's infrastructure, including new cable car routes, a snowmaking system for the slopes, a multi-level parking facility, and year-round recreational facilities. Private investment in the project will total 57.2 billion tenge, creating 200 new jobs.

Additionally, the Oi-Qaragai Gorge will soon be home to a museum of Central Asian nomadic culture. Investors also intend to launch training programs for tourism industry professionals.

Local authorities will oversee the development of essential utilities: over the next three years, state-funded projects will bring a water supply system, an additional 15 MW power line, and sewage infrastructure to the area. Plans also include upgrading access roads from the Talgar Highway to the resort and constructing a new Bai-Bulak–Tau-Turan road. Investors will receive tax incentives for up to 10 years.

Last year, a new attraction debuted for mountain enthusiasts—the picturesque Aktas Plateau within Oi-Qaragai. A gondola lift has already been installed there, with plans to add a T-bar lift, glamping sites, and amusement rides in the near future.

One of the resort's standout features is a suspension bridge spanning the gorge, offering breathtaking views of the "Garden of Stones"—striking rock formations that create a dramatic landscape. Travel agents note that a stroll across the bridge, surrounded by ancient spruces, leaves visitors with unforgettable impressions, while the panoramic vistas rival the covers of the world's most glamorous magazines.

By the way, the Oi-Qaragai resort is part of the emerging Alma-Ata Mountain Cluster, which has the potential to become Central Asia's largest year-round tourist destination. Kazakh investors plan to build a network of cable cars linking Oi-Qaragai, Shymbulak, and the tourist bases in between—Almatau, Kim-Asar, Butakovka, Kotyrbulak, and Pioner.

According to the mountain tourism master plan, by 2029 the total length of ski slopes is set to expand to 700 kilometers, with world-class infrastructure to be developed and made accessible to a broad public. This is expected to increase the daily capacity of the facilities to 34,000 visitors. Industry experts forecast that tourism in the region will surge to 5 million arrivals over the next five years.