Kazakhstan Adopts Iconic ‘Borat’ Catchphrase As Its Official Tourism Slogan
Video screenshot via Kazakhstan Tourism
Sacha Baron Cohen first took on the role as Borat in the 2006 mockumentary film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Back then, leaders in Kazakhstan weren’t pleased with the portrayal of the country having anti-Semitic and misogynistic beliefs. However, they have now seemed to embrace Borat’s character with Cohen’s release of the film’s sequel last week.
Kazakhstan’s tourism department saw a boom in visitor numbers as a result of the film’s popularity, and decided to leverage it by adopting the character’s famous catchphrase, “Very nice,” as its official tourism slogan.
The country’s tourism board has released a 12-second ad showing travelers exploring popular sites in Kazakhstan and expressing their experiences through the popular quote.
Kairat Sadvakassov, deputy chairman of Kazakh Tourism, said in a statement that Borat’s line actually sums up the country’s “tourism potential in a short, memorable way.”
“Kazakhstan’s nature is very nice; its food is very nice; and its people, despite Borat’s jokes to the contrary, are some of the nicest in the world. We would like everyone to come experience Kazakhstan for themselves by visiting our country in 2021 and beyond, so that they can see that Borat’s homeland is nicer than they may have heard,” Sadvakassov added.
Watch the spot below.
[via HuffPost, cover image via Kazakhstan Tourism]
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