Now, that’s a very nice idea to emulate: Kazakhstan is turning a 'Borat' catchphrase to its own advantage

It is difficult to challenge untruth when it is very convincingly portrayed. Even more so if it is done with diabolical humour. Kazakhstan realised this the hard way when it tried to point out that women in that country were not made to travel on the outside of buses and that fermented horse milk — not fermented horse urine — is their traditional drink, after Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary, 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan', debuted in 2006. But Kazakhs are smarter than Cohen gives them credit for as they have pre-empted the October release of his sequel, 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan', by hijacking his famous catchline ‘Very nice’ for a series of tourism promotion shorts that they have aired at the same time.

That Kazakh authorities got the idea from a quirky resident American is a very nice twist that Cohen — and Borat —would appreciate, especially as the logic is sound. If the previous film’s patently outré portrayal led to an increase in tourist arrivals, a few ‘very nice’ vignettes of Kazakhstan to coincide with a follow-up satire would lead to even better tourism dividends. More countries could take a cue from Kazakhstan on how to turn ridicule to their own advantage.