Exploring local stakeholders’ views on the prospects of China’s Belt & Road Initiative on tourism development in Kazakhstan

Abstract

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.