Kazakhstan tourist board has embraced Borat and is using 'very nice' in its new advertising campaign.
It's fair to say the country has not always looked so favourably at Sacha Baron Cohen's character - when Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was released in 2006 the country's foreign minister threatened to sue Cohen and the country subsequently launched a campaign entitled the 'Heart of Eurasia' in an attempt to counteract the 'Borat affect'.
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However, just days after sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm landed on Amazon Prime it seems as though the country has had a change of heart and has decided to take advantage of the free publicity.
Kairat Sadvakassov, the Kazakhstan tourism board deputy chairman, told The New York Times: "In covid times, when tourism spending is on hold, it was good to see the country mentioned in the media.
"Not in the nicest way, but it's good to be out there. We would love to work with Cohen, or maybe even have him film here."
Yermek Utemissov, who pitched the idea for the 'very nice' slogan to the tourism board alongside pal Dennis Keen, reckons that this time around Borat won't upset as many residents.
He explained: "It's a newer generation. They've got Twitter, they've got Instagram, they've got Reddit, they know English, they know memes. They get it. They're inside the media world.
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"We're looking at the same comedians, the same Kimmel show. Kazakhstan is globalised."
The tourism board's short clip, which show off the country's incredible scenery, was posted on YouTube with the caption: "It's a place you may have heard of, that's nicer than you ever imagined.
"Where you can find endless steppe, sand, and epic mountain peaks just a short drive from a modern metropolis.
"Where garlicky Kazakh horse sausage meets spicy Uighur noodles. Where shopping malls have sandy beaches and glass spheres dot the horizon.
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"Where people are so friendly, you might just end up at a Kazakh toi (a traditional wedding) after a few salams (hello!).
"How can you describe a place this surprising in just two words? As a wise man one said, 'Very nice!'"
In a statement to the AV Club Cohen explained that his movie had 'nothing to do with' the real Kazakhstan.
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He said: "This is a comedy, and the Kazakhstan in the film has nothing to do with the real country.
"I chose Kazakhstan because it was a place that almost nobody in the U.S. knew anything about, which allowed us to create a wild, comedic, fake world. The real Kazakhstan is a beautiful country with a modern, proud society - the opposite of Borat's version."
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Kazakhstan TravelTopics: World News, TV and Film, Funny