Kazakhstan is taking its tourism promotion global with the launch of the new direct Astana-Belgrade flight.

As part of the initiative, the country’s tourism potential was showcased during one of Europe’s biggest basketball events - the EuroLeague match between Belgrade’s Partizan and Athens’ Panathinaikos, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

At the Kazakh Embassy in Serbia’s initiative, an interactive promotion engaged 18,000 spectators at Belgrade Arena. Fans were invited to take part in a free-throw contest, with the winner receiving a tourist trip for two to Kazakhstan, presented by Ambassador Madi Atamkulov.

The contest was accompanied by “Born Bold Kazakhstan” tourism videos, a promotional video for the Astana-Belgrade SCAT Airlines flight, and staff in traditional Kazakh costumes distributing themed T-shirts and caps to fans.

The EuroLeague, Europe’s second most popular sporting event, broadcasts its regular season in 199 countries with a total audience exceeding 1 billion viewers, giving Kazakhstan a massive international platform to attract tourists.