He may be an unlikely tourism ambassador, but Borat seems to be doing great things for travel to Kazakhstan. Borat is known from the Sacha Baron Cohen farce of the same name as that lovable, bumbling idiot who hails from the central Asian nation.
After the movie was released in 2006, the number of visas issued by Kazakhstan grew tenfold, reports Agence France-Presse. "I am grateful to 'Borat' for helping attract tourists to Kazakhstan," Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov is quoted as saying.
In the film, the obviously sexist, homophobic and anti-semitic Borat leaves a stereotyped version of Kazakhstan for a documentary tour across the U.S., as the film's full title states, "for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan." But, it's bringing the tourists.
One tour company is even specializing in Borat tours, according to IBT. It's entitled "Cultural Learnings of Kazakhstan for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of America & EU."
However, Borat is still proving to be a thorn in the side of Kazakhstan's officials. Borat's fake version of Kazakhstan's national anthem was accidentally played at a shooting competition in Kuwait, reports The Telegraph. Needless to say, the film version is decidedly more perverted.