BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. Kazakhstan's
East Kazakhstan region plans to develop the Anatau year-round ski
resort on the Ivanovsky Ridge in Ridder city.
This was announced in a statement issued by the press office of
the East Kazakhstan Region, citing remarks made by Akim Nuryymbet
Saktaganov at a meeting with city residents.
''The project is expected to help transform Ridder into a
year-round mountain tourism hub,'' the press service says, citing
Saktaganov.
"Ridder should strengthen its position not only as an industrial
city but also as one of the country's main mountain tourism
centers," Saktaganov said.
He noted that tourism is considered one of the promising areas
for the city's economic development. According to Saktaganov,
tourism development in Ridder should go beyond winter recreation
and include hiking and cycling routes, eco-tourism, family tourism,
as well as sports and extreme tourism.
"Tourists should come to Ridder not just for a few hours but
stay for several days, use local services and return. Every
additional day a tourist spends in Ridder means additional income
for hotels, cafes and local businesses," he said.
A Tourism and Investment Center has already been launched in
Ridder, while a modern tourist visitor center is also planned.
Ridder currently has 42 accommodation facilities, while 11,000
tourists, including 1,300 foreign visitors, visited the city in the
first quarter of 2026. This year, the Ridder Inn hotel and
restaurant complex was commissioned with investments of 750 million
tenge (about $1.6 million). Reconstruction of the Ridder Resort
Hotel and Edelweiss complex is also underway.
