Melco Resorts & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho has met with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov to discuss potential cooperation in the country’s tourism infrastructure development, with a focus on the planned Alatau City project.
The meeting, announced by the Press Service of the Government of Kazakhstan, also covered opportunities for investors to take part in projects within Alatau, a new city being developed in the Almaty region.
Kazakhstan has identified tourism as one of the priority areas in its economic diversification strategy, alongside efforts to attract foreign investment and create new growth drivers. Bektenov said the Alatau City project was receiving close attention from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, including the development of supporting infrastructure.
According to the government statement, a new legal framework for Alatau will take effect on July 1st, 2026, including provisions aimed at providing transparent investor engagement mechanisms, long-term stability for investment projects and modern investment protection tools.
Ho expressed Melco’s interest in participating in joint projects, citing Kazakhstan’s potential in tourism and hospitality, the statement said. Both sides indicated interest in continuing cooperation on modern tourism infrastructure.
Alatau is planned as a future city near Almaty, with tourism among its key pillars. Its Green District is designed as a lakeside tourism and recreation cluster, including hotels, entertainment, sports, resort and leisure facilities.
The talks come as Kazakhstan is also expanding its regulated gambling framework. Amendments signed earlier this year allow new gambling zones for foreign visitors in four regions, including areas on the Caspian Sea coast, Lake Alakol, Talgar district and East Kazakhstan.
