World Monitor Magazine, Economy WM_April 2019 web version (2) | Page 28

EXPERT OPINION
Hotel Business in Kazakhstan:
problems and solutions
Anasstasiya Kim,
Managing Partner
Gulmira Sharipbayeva,
Managing Partner
Raushan Yerzhanova,
Business Development
Director
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world monitor
According to UNWTO the number of
tourists in 2017 has achieved 1,5 billion
people. The projection is, this number will
hit 1,8 billion travellers by 2030. Such
a fast-paced development of tourism
contributes to the growth of so-called
supporting industries, including hotel
business. Thus, the number of inbound
tourists in Kazakhstan has grown by
35% between 2011-2017, which has
influenced development of hospitality as
a sector here.
Nowadays, tourists regardless of purpose
of travel, whether business or leisure,
have high demands for the quality of
service at each stage of their travel
arrangements. In the world of modern
technology, we are now able to choose
and compare more accommodation
options than ever before, from large
chain hotels to private apartments on
Airbnb. At the same time, platforms for
feedback and online recommendations
are there for savvy travelers to quickly
dismiss those options that do not meet
high expectations.
In this context of high demands and tough
competition, hoteliers have changed
their focus, and the concept of “service”,
in its modern sense, has evolved over
the past few years into a new concept:
“experience”. From now on, the quality
of service is being determined not only
by being friendly and efficient, but also
by emotions, memories, impressions that
are left after a stay in a particular hotel.
In Kazakhstani hotel market, for example,
such type of personalized service is
provided mainly by hotels of well-known
hotel chains, represented in the luxury
segment. Although two recent openings
by Accor Hotels in Almaty provide an
opportunity to get similar experience in
the segment of mid-scale hotels.
Development of the hotel business in
Kazakhstan is a complex and diverse
topic. . On one hand, hospitality here is
undergoing significant positive changes.
Being a part of tourism industry, which
is designated amongst the prioritized
sectors of the economy along with
mining and agriculture, hotel market
in Kazakhstan attracts more and more
interest from investors. On the other
hand, with the continuous increase in the
number of hotels, triggered by large-scale
events held in the country, the business
itself faces a number of problems that are
not easy to solve in the short-term.
One of the main problems is a lack of
qualified hotel personnel at all levels:
from line employees to managerial staff.
This problem exists for various reasons,
and for a long time the solution to it was
to attract foreign experts and experience
exchange. Over time, Kazakhstani content
in management and executive positions
in hospitality has increased, however
shortage of professionally trained human
resources for hotels, yet remains a
relevant issue. This becomes especially
noticeable for business at the time of new
hotels openings, simultaneously creating
an urgent call for recruiting employees
from existing hotels to newly opened
ones.
On a broader perspective, educational
institutions and organizations are the
ones responsile for resolving the issue
of education and professional training.
But how to address this question for the