ASTANA – TikTok and Kazakh Tourism have launched a large-scale initiative, under the GuideToKazakhstan hashtag, that promises a virtual journey to the country’s major sights, reported the Kazakh Tourism national company.
Photo credit: Kazakh Tourism.
As part of this initiative, they created a video guide showcasing landmarks, cultural facilities, and gastronomic destinations across the country. Each month, the TikTok travel guide will expand to include two new regions until all areas become part of a detailed interactive map.
The project’s goal is to draw attention to domestic tourism, inspire the TikTok community to explore their homeland, and support small and medium-sized businesses, as well as cultural and tourism organizations, to reach new audiences.
The campaign kicks off with Astana and Shymkent, two of the country’s three largest cities. Cultural organizations, restaurants, and other venues in these cities can showcase themselves and appear on the interactive tourist map.
Local residents are also invited to share their favorite places and recommendations by posting videos with the hashtags #GuideToKazakhstan and either #Shymkent or #Astana. Videos highlighting interesting places in these cities have been shared by Kazakh Tourism, local tourism organizations, entertainment organizations and popular TikTok content creators.
TikTok, the world’s leading platform for short-form videos, provides millions of users with the opportunity to discover the world and new travel destinations.
Travel content is one of the most beloved themes on TikTok, with users worldwide sharing their experiences and recommendations under the hashtag #travel, amassing over 220 billion views.
Last year, the first joint project between TikTok and the national company, #TravelKazakhstan, saw professional guides and popular TikTok creators leading tours across Kazakhstan. Travel videos under the hashtag garnered nearly 25 million views.
Similarly, thousands of people from Kazakhstan used TikTok to celebrate the Nauryz holiday in March.
“The collaboration between Kazakh Tourism and TikTok opens new prospects for drawing attention to the tourism resources of our country,” said Kairat Sadvakasov, Kazakh Tourism acting chairman. “We invite TikTok users to actively participate in this unique project, which not only makes the cultural and gastronomic treasures of Kazakhstan accessible but also creates an inspiring video guide to every corner of our homeland.”
Ekaterina Blinets, head of operations at TikTok in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, noted Kazakhstan is a “country with rich cultural and gastronomic heritage.” She also sees huge creative potential in the country.
“The goal of our project, in collaboration with Kazakh Tourism, is to showcase the beauty of the country and tourism opportunities to users in Kazakhstan and beyond. It also provides an opportunity for local businesses and cultural organizations from different regions to introduce themselves and attract the attention of a broad audience,” said Blinets.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew visited Kazakhstan in October to attend the Digital Bridge international forum. Addressing the plenary session, he underscored the evolving partnership between TikTok and Kazakhstan, hinting at ample opportunities.
TikTok has also partnered with Astana Hub International Technopark of IT Startups to launch the TikTok Startup Academy project, an educational program for nearly 300 Kazakh startups. This program is expected to train startups on leveraging TikTok for product promotion, showcasing the platform’s potential as a valuable marketing tool.
