Bauyrzhan Pazylkhaiyr

Rural tourism is often promoted as a means of advancing gender equality, yet little is known about how women’s empowerment translates into lasting behavioral support for tourism, particularly outside a few well-studied regions. Drawing on Empowerment Theory, Social Exchange Theory and the Capability Approach, this study tests a model in which women’s economic, social and political empowerment shape their satisfaction with tourism, which influences participation and long-term support for tourism development, both directly and through participation. A census survey covered 194 female residents of Saty village, Kazakhstan, recognized as a UN Tourism Best Tourism Village (initial response rate 87.8%; effective rate 81.5%). Structural equation modelling with 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap resamples confirmed a six-factor measurement model and supported all ten hypothesized paths. Social empowerment was the strongest predictor of satisfaction (β = 0.332), followed by economic (β = 0.262) and political empowerment (β = 0.215). Satisfaction predicted participation (β = 0.377), and support was predicted by both participation (β = 0.243) and satisfaction (β = 0.286). Participation partially mediated the effect of satisfaction on support (indirect β = 0.091; total β = 0.378). Satisfaction also carried the effects of economic (β = 0.099), social (β = 0.125) and political empowerment (β = 0.081) to participation. The results show that satisfaction acts both as a direct driver of advocacy and as an indirect route to support. Social empowerment, understood as recognition, skill development and access to networks, emerges as the main lever for gender-responsive tourism policy in Central Asia.

Цель данного обзора — оценить влияние искусственного интеллекта (ИИ) на индустрию гостеприимства, сосредоточив внимание на том, как технологии ИИ трансформируют клиентский опыт, операционные процессы и принятие решений в этом секторе. Поскольку ИИ становится неотъемлемой частью современного бизнеса, данный обзор направлен на обобщение существующих исследований по интеграции инструментов ИИ, таких как чат-боты, роботизированные помощники, предиктивная аналитика и системы персонализации, в сфере гостеприимства. Методология: Методология включает систематический обзор рецензируемых журнальных статей, отраслевых отчетов и тематических исследований, опубликованных за последнее десятилетие. Собранные данные были проанализированы для выявления ключевых тенденций, проблем и преимуществ, связанных с внедрением ИИ в индустрии гостеприимства. В статье рассматриваются различные статьи по разным критериям, таким как год, автор, организация, страны, тип документа и область знаний. Результаты: Результаты показывают, что ИИ значительно повышает эффективность обслуживания клиентов, персонализирует опыт гостей и оптимизирует ценообразование и управление запасами. Например, чат-боты на основе искусственного интеллекта улучшили время отклика и снизили затраты на персонал, а предиктивная аналитика позволила отелям адаптировать предложения в соответствии с предпочтениями и моделями поведения гостей. Однако такие проблемы, как высокие первоначальные затраты, вопросы конфиденциальности данных и необходимость переобучения персонала, остаются существенными препятствиями для широкого внедрения. Оригинальность: Мы подтверждаем, что являемся авторами данного исследования и что никакая часть этой работы ранее не публиковалась и не представлялась для публикации в каких-либо других изданиях.

Recently, noteworthy progress has been made in the transition to gender equality, and the actions of several governments worldwide have been described as steps towards finding positive solutions to this issue. Ensuring gender equality is crucial in achieving sustainable development and effective economic growth at both the national and regional levels. Various articles on gender studies in the Central Asian (CA) region were retrieved using Scopus, one of the most popular databases. VOSviewer Version 1.6.20 was employed to analyse different metrics such as co-citation networks, co-occurrences, and author keywords. A total of 132 articles were extracted from the Scopus database and analysed through five bibliometric analysis units: evolution of scientific production, analysis of authors, analysis of sources/journals, analysis of countries and institutions, and analysis of author keywords. The main findings of this study can be summarised in the following three key points: (i) The scientific output of articles addressing gender issues in the societies of CA countries remains insufficient, and the commitment to achieving gender equality does not align with international and regional interests; (ii) Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are recognised as countries that devote considerable attention to scientific research related to gender in the CA region. In contrast, Turkmenistan is identified as a country that does not engage in gender research at the international level, primarily due to a lack of materials in the Scopus database; (iii) Overall, it can be concluded that the implementation of gender equality in the Central Asian region still lacks substantial support from the state, as research related to gender issues in this area has predominantly been conducted and supported by democratic and well-developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Sharing tourism-generated revenues with local people has become a popular strategy for implementing sustainability in nature-based tourism destinations globally. Although the local people have received some economic gains from tourism development, there are still some limitations to fair income sharing. These limitations are evident in many underdeveloped countries and lead to a passive situation of local community participation in tourism development. The primary purpose of this article is to determine the level of tourism revenue sharing in the Aksu-Zhabagly tourist destination and, at the same time, to make appropriate recommendations on the remaining issues. To understand the status of tourism revenue sharing, we surveyed the perceptions of 44 nature reserve employees and 66 travel company workers, respectively. The survey results show that although the business operations of tourism organizers do not harm the living environment of the local population, they usually do not spend part of the income from tourism on the common good of the local population. Most residents are unsatisfied with tourism development, and their participation in tourism is also comparatively low. The results also reveal that the comparatively low level of sharing the tourism-associated revenue with local development is the leading indirect cause of residents’ dissatisfaction with the development of the tourism industry. In conclusion, we believe that the results of this study and our recommendations help local authorities understand the importance of removing constraints in the fair distribution of tourism revenues in this tourist destination.

This study examines the vital role of local community involvement in promoting sustainable tourism development in Kazakhstan's Mangystau region. By applying a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, the research evaluates the effects of community participation on tourism efforts, highlighting both the challenges and potential advantages. The study concludes that active engagement by local communities enriches the authenticity of the tourism experience, helps preserve cultural heritage, and ensures fair economic distribution. However, the region encounters significant challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited marketing capabilities, and a shortage of tourism-related skills among residents. The results underscore the importance of strategic planning, capacity building, and cooperation among government agencies, local communities, and private entities to advance sustainable tourism in Mangystau. This strategy is essential for balancing economic growth with environmental and cultural conservation, ultimately positioning Mangystau as a prominent destination for sustainable and cultural tourism in Central Asia.

The development of cross-border tourism between neighboring countries has become increasingly popular in recent decades. In European countries where the visa-free regime is established, this scheme is well developed and positively affects the development of the country's economy. Developing cross-border areas and establishing cross-border cooperation with neighboring countries is one of the priorities of Central Asian state policy. In the last ten years, several large-scale cross-border platforms aimed at developing tourism have been implemented among the more developed countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) in Central Asia, so our study was based on the border regions of the three countries mentioned above. The study aims to highlight the benefits of cooperation in cross-border tourism by examining the experiences and expectations of experts who are well-versed in the field of tourism. A qualitative research method was mainly used in semi-structured interviews focused on the positive results associated with the development of cross-border tourism among people familiar with the region's tourism. The analysis showed that according to the informants, the development of cross-border tourism has a moderate impact on the joint development of infrastructure projects by countries. The results also showed that all of the survey participants believed that cross-border tourism would provide an impetus to strengthen joint tourism marketing and the exchange of knowledge and innovation between countries. In short, it can be seen from the results of the research that the respondents generally highly appreciated the positive influence of the development of cross-border tourism on the growth of the country's economy.

The purpose of this study is to determine the current level of ecotourism research in tourism environmental management of Kazakhstan and to perform a comparison assessment in order to gain a better understanding through critical analysis and the identification of gaps for future studies.Methodology. Analysis, comparison, and literature review have been used as the methods of this work.The originality / value of the study is an accurate analysis of the present situation of ecotourism research in Kazakhstan and Bhutan. The Bhutanese example of ecotourism research could contribute for the further development of tourism environmental management in Kazakhstan. Findings. The authors found a few main problems of ecotourism research, including having lack of comprehensive data and information and problems with regulatory legal acts and documents in Kazakhstan. Therefore, right ecotourism study can facilitate to the development of the tourism environmental management in Kazakhstan.Through analyzing the Bhutanese practice of ecotourism research, the authors found a gap in Kazakhstan tourism environmental management where further research should be focused. Consequently, the authors gave a few recommendations on the further development of ecotourism research in Kazakhstan, as working with closely with foreign experienced researchers, improving the protected areas websites, establishing a trust fund with other countries, improving government documents on tourism environmental management, publishing more reports in English, and providing more grants and scholarships.

Based on the analysis of the current development state of the tourism development in Aksu-Zhabagly Biosphere Reserve (BR), this paper discusses how to properly handle the contradiction between nature protection and tourism development, determines the problems existing in tourism development, and proposes a strategy for the development of eco-tourism in Kazakhstan. The aim of the study is to give some recommendations for the Aksu-Zhabgly ecotourism destination by employing a combination of field observation, examination, evaluation, and SWOT analysis. The strategic suggestions for the future development of tourism in Aksu-Zhabagly BR were determined mainly by the SWOT analysis results. The study results showed that the main strengths are convenient accessibility, diversified wild animals and plants, rich natural values, tranquil life in a typical rural setting, and favorable climatic conditions in the summer. And the low quality of tourist services, lack of competition among tourist destinations, lack of necessary infrastructure for tourists, lack of investment capital for tourism development, and lack of access to credit for small business development were determined as the main weakness. The results also revealed the preparation of different types of tour packages, the development of community tourism groups in Zhabagly, the potential for the production and sale of folk crafts and souvenirs, and improving accessibility (rehabilitation of roads, public transport) are the main opportunities. Finally, the hazards of increased influx of tourists, monopolization of tourist revenues and uncontrolled development of tourism, unlimited use of social opportunities and natural resources, loss of newly acquired image through the supply of low-quality goods, and the inability of other neighboring settlements to compete with Zhabagly village were proved to be the main threat to the effective implementation of sustainable development of tourism in the Aksu-Zhabagly tourist site. На основе анализа текущего состояния развития туризма в биосферном заповеднике (БЗ) Аксу-Жабаглы в данной статье обсуждается, как правильно разрешить противоречие между охраной природы и развитием туризма, определяются проблемы, существующие в развитии туризма, и предлагается стратегия развития экотуризма в Казахстане. Цель исследования - предложить рекомендации для экотуризма Аксу-Жабаглы, используя комбинацию полевых наблюдений, исследования, оценки и SWOT-анализа. Стратегические предложения по будущему развитию туризма в БЗ Аксу-Жабаглы были определены преимущественно по результатам SWOT-анализа. Результаты исследования показали, что основными преимуществами являются удобная расположение, разнообразие флоры и фауны, богатые запасы природных ресурсов, размеренный ритм жизни в сельской местности и благоприятные климатические условия в летний период. А в качестве основных недостатков были определены низкое качество туристских услуг, отсутствие конкуренции среди туристских направлений, отсутствие необходимой инфраструктуры для туристов, нехватка инвестиционного капитала для развития туризма и отсутствие кредитного финансирования для развития малого бизнеса. Результаты также показали, что подготовка различных типов туристских пакетов, развитие общественных туристических групп в Жабаглы, потенциал для производства и продажи народных ремесел и сувениров, а также развитие инфраструктуры (восстановление дорог, общественного транспорта) являются основными возможностями для развития. Наконец, опасности повышенного притока туристов для экологии, монополизации туристических доходов и неконтролируемого развития туризма, неограниченного использования социальных возможностей и природных ресурсов, потери вновь приобретенного имиджа из-за поставок товаров низкого качества и неспособности других населенных пунктов конкурировать с территорией Аксу-Жабаглы. были определены главными угрозами для эффективного осуществления устойчивого развития экологического туризма в туристическом направлении Аксу-Жабаглы. Экологиялық туризмді жүзеге асыру үшін қорықтардағы туристік ресурстардың артықшылықтарын толық пайдалану ел ішінде және...