Abstract
The study develops a stakeholder-informed conceptual and interpretive framework for cultural heritage city competitiveness in Kazakhstan. It links heritage-city competitiveness with stakeholder theory, sustainable destination management, participatory cultural-heritage governance and infrastructure resilience. The methodology combines literature and document analysis with original processing of official statistical information on tourist flows, cultural infrastructure and selected destinations. The framework interprets the positions of four stakeholder groups, tourists, residents, authorities and businesses, as analytical categories derived from secondary sources. These categories indicate that tourists prioritise authentic experience, accessibility, interpretation and service quality, residents emphasise local identity, employment and quality of life, public authorities focus on protection, investment and balanced use, and businesses focus on services, events and revenue-generating products. The results show that competitiveness depends not only on the presence of monuments but also on infrastructure quality, governance coordination, digital interpretation, community involvement and adaptive reuse.