Germany's Largest Travel Association DRV to Host Major Forum in Kazakhstan in 2026

Kazakhstan has secured a significant event to boost its inbound tourism from Europe. The country's Ministry of Tourism and Sports signed a memorandum of cooperation with Deutscher Reiseverband (DRV), Germany's largest travel industry association, during the ITB Berlin travel trade show.

The agreement paves the way for the DRV Destination Forum to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, in August 2026. The forum is designed as a practical tool for integrating Kazakhstani tour products into the German market. Its program will include presentations of Kazakhstan's tourism potential, B2B negotiations with German tour operators, and familiarization tours to key destinations and infrastructure sites across the country.

"The main goal of the agreement is to include tours to Kazakhstan in the catalogs of leading German tour operators and actively promote them in Germany," said Nurbol Baizhanov, Acting Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Industry. "Hosting the DRV forum is an important signal to the entire German tourism community that cooperation between our two countries in tourism is reaching a new level."

The Kazakh national stand at ITB Berlin featured 21 inbound tour operators, representatives from the hotel business, Kazakh cuisine restaurants, and six regions of the country. The nation's gastronomic potential was highlighted with support from the Sandyq Group restaurant network.

The move reflects Kazakhstan's consistent work to expand international partnerships, diversify inbound tourist flows, and strengthen its status as a competitive tourist and business destination. In 2025 alone, approximately 100 thousand German citizens visited Kazakhstan.

The DRV is Germany's leading industry association for tourism and travel services, uniting over 3,000 companies. Its members account for about 90% of organized trips taken by German citizens. The association shapes the industry agenda, influences national tourism policy development, and has a significant impact on the international travel market.