Agritourism as an Alternative Form of Expanding Economic Opportunities for the Rural Population

Objective – to investigate the socio-economic prerequisites and conditions for the development of rural tourism in Kazakhstan, to substantiate a cluster approach to its formation at the regional level. Statistical and economic methods were used: analysis of dynamics of employment, rural household income, investment in fixed assets, and local budget receipts for 2019–2025 to determine the socio-institutional factors and determinants of agritourism in creating tourism clusters; comparative method – when comparing rural areas with tourism infrastructure based on peasant (farm) holdings and guest houses with territories lacking a clearly pronounced cluster organization; cluster case method – to characterize potential cooperative associations in Karaganda, Akmola, and Turkestan regions; expert analytical method – when studying infrastructure constraints and the degree of digitalization of tourism services. Results – regions where tourism in rural areas functions as a local system around peasant (farm) holdings and guest estates demonstrate higher growth rates of key indicators than rural districts with comparable resource potential without a cluster complex. The decisive role of transport accessibility, roadside services, logistics facilities, and digital promotion and booking channels in the stability of demand and manageability of tourism services is shown. A comparison of promising clusters was conducted based on the product core, additional types of tourism activity, and the state of functional and technological services. A cluster diagram of rural ecotourism is proposed, reflecting the interrelationships between the structural center, accompanying services, digital tools, and socio-institutional effects. Conclusions – to accelerate cluster organization, it is necessary to integrate rural tourism into programs for the transformation of rural administrative units and infrastructure policy, develop standardized road and roadside services, support cooperation between farmers and local communities, and strengthen the digital component through online platforms.

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