They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. And the Borat film proves the rule. Much to the annoyance of Kazakhs everywhere, the blundering reporter created an image of Kazakhstan that has stuck. The movie became a huge hit in 2006 and Borat became a

But Kazakh official Kenzhebay Satzhanov says it isn’t all bad news. Speaking at the annual World Travel Market tourism industry fair in London, he said the film had brought some benefits.

Big Almaty Lake

Kazakh steppe… 1km from Almaty

“The film has become free advertising for Kazakhstan. In the last six months, tourism has grown by 13%,” he said.

Singing Barkhan

Turgen Gorge

The character, played by British comic Sasha Baron Cohen, has so influenced the hearts and minds of viewers that many come to see the country for themselves.

When “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” appeared on screens across the globe, Kazakh authorities said it offended the nation and its people, who were depicted as uneducated medieval barbarians drinking horse urine.

Poor Borat

In July 2007 the American journal ‘Street’ analysed the coverage of Kazakhstan in Western media. It found that in the year after the release of Borat, the country was mentioned in connection with investment opportunities far more often than in connection with the film.

Baikonur launch pad

This fact, however, has not consoled the Kazakh people. They still feel insulted by the film, and threats to “smash the face” of Sasha Cohen are not rare among Kazakh bloggers and forum participants.

But they had a kind of revenge earlier this year with the release of ‘Borat’s Repentance’ – a short English-language film by Kazakh director Tokhtar Karsakbaev.