'Borat' Boosts Tourism in Kazakhstan: Do You Want to Visit?

by SodaHead Film Posted 2012/04/23 19:00:00

Related Topics: Borat, Kazakhstan, sacha baron cohen

476 votes
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	Yes	117 votes	25%
	No	359 votes	75%

When Sacha Baron Cohen set out to "make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan" with his 2006 comedy blockbuster "Borat," he probably didn't expect it to actually work. But it did. The nation was originally outraged with the irreverent film, but now that tourism has increased exponentially, Foreign Minister Erzhan Kazykhanov is having a change of heart.

Kazykhanov told Tengri News, "Since the movie hit the screen, the number of visas [for those wanting to travel to Kazakhstan] has grown tenfold. For us, it is a great victory. I am grateful to the [spoof journalist] Borat, the main character of the movie, for tourists' keen interest to Kazakhstan ... I would treat the movie from the philosophical point of view." Be honest: do you want to go to Kazakhstan because of "Borat"?

+13

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Vitalani 2012/04/24 02:14:38 (edited)

Yes

+11
I love Borat and all of Sacha's characters! However Borat really does give Kazakhstan a bad name in the eyes of certain *ignorant* Americans. They think "Hey it's in a movie it must all be true!". Not so.

The kind of *backwoods Kazakhstan* that is presented in Borat is comparable to OUR *backwoods south*. It can be very unsavory, ignorant, and decades behind the rest of the nation. While is it an (somewhat)accurate depiction of certain places, most of Kazakhstan isn't like that and many of the people their don't want to be associated with the people who have the views represented in the movie. The same way many americans don't want to be thought of as racist, toothless, trailer people. We aren't saying they don't exist BUT they don't represent all of us.

SO, yes I'd love to go there (But not because of a fictitious movie) and I wouldn't judge the place as a whole just because of that movie.

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More polls by SodaHead Film

stevmackey 2012/04/24 17:00:25

Yes

+1
But, I probably will not go.

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t.eliot, topbard 2012/04/24 16:56:12

Yes

+2
I would love to visit Kazakhstan, but that has nothing to do with Borat. I've not seen it and I'm not likely to.

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mk, Smartass Oracle 2012/04/24 16:46:25

No

+3
WTF?

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ID51 2012/04/24 16:16:30

No

Zero interest.

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Margaret Jacobson 2012/04/24 16:01:08

Yes

vi9sit ONLY.........with tour group........maybe ??

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wrwheelerjr 2012/04/24 15:50:44

Yes

+1
If travel there were safe, I would love to visit all seven of the ...stan countries. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and yes, Kazakhstan.

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Royo 2012/04/24 15:45:14

Yes

Sure, why not?

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Golden Panther 2012/04/24 15:21:41

No

+1
I have been there and done that...nothing to write home to mother about. Some of mountains are spectacular. If you go suggest you stay at the International Hotel...at least there the food is edible.

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HarleyCharley 2012/04/24 15:11:37

Yes

They have good poon over there..

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DM Twin 2012/04/24 15:07:01
SW 2012/04/24 15:06:00

Yes

+1
Sure. Borat was FICTION. In fact Cohen's characters are meant to be a characature image of our stereotypes. It reflects what he thinks Americans think of whatever he's spoofing. ie Bruno. It has nothing to do with what's actually there or not.

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hudistunt 2012/04/24 14:53:02

Yes

Borat SUCKED, SBC SUCKS, the country Kazakhstan SUCKS, and anyone who likes this drivel is a MORON.

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Rob Williams 2012/04/24 14:46:40

No

+2
I might want to go to Kazakhstan but NOT because of Sasha Baron Cohen!

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Kigan 2012/04/24 12:34:24

No

+2
There are too many other places I want to visit in my life.

And that movie certainly wouldn't get me to visit.

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NKULE 2012/04/24 11:27:19

Yes

i totally meant to say no.....why would i wanna do that?

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Playerazzi 2012/04/24 11:14:37

No

+2
The movie was disgusting, irreverent, racist, offensive. I refuse to have a copy of it in my home.

And it might have been the funniest things I've seen in my life.

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Angela 2012/04/24 11:07:00

Yes

+1
Sure, why not? Borat is a funny man..I love his satire...and that's what it is..satire.

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CMR to Angela 2012/04/24 15:15:59

Satire is a higher level of humor, unfortunately, smaller minds tend to not understand it well.

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Angela to CMR 2012/04/24 23:03:05

I agree..ty for your response..

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FAM of the OMC 2012/04/24 10:50:18

No

+1
I've already been there. Don't plan on going back.

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jackie 2012/04/24 10:11:04 (edited)

Yes

+1
Not because of Borat, I would like to visit anywhere nice. Everybody is saying No because of Borat? Wow if everybody believe a whole entire place is a bad place from what happened in the movies then just think of how people from other countries think of Americans.

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wolfshadow 2012/04/24 09:39:16

No

+2
I'll pass. Thanks anyway.

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Beat Magnum True Hero 2012/04/24 09:17:29

Yes

+1
They have the world's best potassium.

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Gahnzo to Beat Ma... 2012/04/24 14:46:43

the worlds best Possum???

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Jake to Gahnzo 2012/04/24 17:15:52

No, potassium.

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Gahnzo to Jake 2012/04/28 15:19:12

I know...just bein silly...

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krishan chandra 2012/04/24 09:11:18

Yes

cool.

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Marcel van der Veen 2012/04/24 08:49:49

Yes

Ofcourse., cheap beer and lots of beautiful women in Kazakhstan! ")

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spike66 2012/04/24 08:09:59

No

+1
guess if i was from the middle of the country, i'd wanna go too....ha ha...j/k...except u illinois....sorry, u host the colts...screw them.

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nightcrawler2005 2012/04/24 08:03:27

No

+1
Sorry not really high on my vacation wish list.
What scares me the most is the other flag he's holding is the Canadian flag I sure as hell hope he's not going to try to promote our tourist industry he'll will destroy it

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Cause Unknown 2012/04/24 06:59:40

Yes

Well it certainly got my curiosity.

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««Gingey, the Master Debate... 2012/04/24 06:00:55

Yes

I would love to visit

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TC 2012/04/24 05:25:20

Yes

Why not, I love adventures!

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Lisa 2012/04/24 04:42:04

No

It's kinda sad for Kazakhstan that they needed some comedy to increase their tourism. But Borat was super hilarious

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RoseyRhod 2012/04/24 04:29:34

No

+1
Of all the places I'd like to visit, Khazakstan is pretty far down on the list. Borat was damn funny, though.

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Lord Claremorris 2012/04/24 04:12:25

No

The movie obviously portrayed the country in a very negative light. That being said, it's still not very rich. It's practically empty for how big it is. The Russians had a lot of failed projects there, trying to irrigate the desert and what not. The only thing of attraction would be Geok Tepe, and I'm not sure if that's in Kazakhstan or Turkmenistan. What the Russians even wanted out of the damn place is beyond me. Probably just wanted to show off to the French and British. Especially the latter. Though I do admit I'm as excited as the next enthusiast of colonial derring-do when it comes to stories about the Great Game. I am a fan of Kipling after all. The only problem is the Raj is gone, and so are the Romanovs.

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Prime Time Lime 2012/04/24 04:11:39

Yes

+1
It is technically a part of Russia and have always wanted to visit Russia and other Slavic countries. I would surely find it an interesting culture.

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Lord Cl... to Prime T... 2012/04/24 04:14:02

+2
It's not part of Russia. The Turkmens are not Russians and they're not even Slavs. They're linguistically closely related to the Magyars and the Turks of Anatolia, and to the Mongols. They're moslems and originally steppe nomads. Their cultural gravitas is southwards, towards Persia and the heartland of Islam, not the frozen steppes of Orthodox Russia.

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Prime T... to Lord Cl... 2012/04/24 04:15:54 (edited)

Actually they were a part of Russia for and were on of the last Soviet Republics. Russian is one of their main languages as well. I love varied cultures.

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Lord Cl... to Prime T... 2012/04/24 04:50:47 (edited)

+2
Not long. The Russians only began penetrating Central Asia in the mid-19th century. About the same time that Bugeaud landed in Algeria. So. Circa. 1830. Russian is a language widely spoken there, but as a lingua franca. The Kazakhs speak Turkic languages natively, Russian is learned there like English is learned in India. I'm well aware that Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. But they were conquered, they don't much fancy the Russians. Which is kind of why they declared independence from them. That's like saying the Americans are English because we were part of the British Empire once. The region wasn't completely conquered until Skobolev took the fortress of Geok Tepe in 1881. Meaning that the region has only been "part of Russia" for about 100 years. The British owned India longer than that. The French owned Algeria almost that long. I guess Algerians are French and Indians are British? No. The impact of Russia on Kazakhstan has culturally been minimal, just like the former two. It was a foray into colonial adventures and did not suddenly transform the Turkic speaking moslems of the steppes into Slavic Russians in the short space of 100 years. Also, the Kazakhs tried breaking with Russia after the Empire's collapse, and they had to be reconquered by the Bolsheviks.

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