Social Aspects of Developing Children’s and Youth Tourism Infrastructure in the Akmola region

Youth tourism performs important social, educational, and wellness functions, but its development requires accessible, safe, and adapted infrastructure. The purpose of the study is to assess the current state of the infrastructure of children's and youth tourism in the Akmola region and determine the main directions of its socially oriented development. The study uses a systematic literature review, content analysis, statistical and comparative analysis. The initial information base consisted of official data from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Education of the Akmola region for 2020-2025, regulatory acts and government programs, as well as 17 scientific publications selected from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases. The results showed that in 2020-2025, the number of tourist organizations in the region increased from 61 to 80 units, accommodation facilities from 374 to 458, children's health camps from 12 to 17, and tourist routes for children and adolescents from 18 to 36. The number of visitors served by the accommodation facilities increased from 235.0 to 659.4 thousand people, or by 180.6%. The share of children and teenagers in the total tourist flow increased from 21% to 31%. In 2025, the volume of services provided by the region's locations amounted to KZT 34,033.3 million, of which an estimated KZT 10,550.3 million were related to youth tourism. The results obtained confirm the need to develop specialized and inclusive facilities, year-round routes, educational programs, human resources, and public-private partnership mechanisms.

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