This exploratory study examines the attitudes of tourism, civic and business stakeholders in Kazakhstan to China's proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It aims to determine the applicability of Social Exchange Theory (SET) in measuring local attitudes towards the likely impacts of the multi-sectoral, transboundary mega projects of the BRI on tourism development in the destination. In addressing this gap in research on attitudes to tourism development in this wider regional context, the study confirms the utility of SET as an explanatory framework in benchmarking stakeholders' attitudes towards the implications of the BRI for tourism development. The findings suggest that while there is a strong support for the economic value of China's BRI for the sector, there are some concerns that it may undermine local autonomy and Kazakhstan's distinctive brand as a tourist destination.

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The report describes the current problems in the country's economy, characteristic of Kazakhstan's economy. This is shown by the high dependence of the country's economy on natural resources and changes in prices for them. In the past, rapid development of natural resources, in particular hydrocarbons, allowed the country to maintain high growth rates. However, because of the expected low oil prices in the foreseeable future and the transition of hydrocarbon production to the stage of the plateau, this driver of growth has dried up. The article also discusses possible ways of finding new drivers of growth.

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