Borat Making Good for the Country of Kazkhstan?

We've all heard about him on the news, whether it is in good taste or bad taste. We've heard about the lawsuits stemming from Sasha Baron Cohen's new film "Borat." But is he actually helping out the nation of Kazakhstan?

This little known Asian country has quickly become the top vacation spot for 2007, especially among the teenage population. Travel agents have called it the "Borat Bounce." Hotels.com has reported at 300% jump in internet searches for hotels there. Kazakh Embassy officials in Washington told The Times of London that it has been getting 100 calls per week asking advice for how to visit and what to expect in the country.

The country of Kazakhstan has harshly criticized Cohen, who stars in Talladega Nights and is also known as Ali G, by making fun of the country. Now travel is booming and the profits are rolling in for the little country. They're laughing all the way to the bank. The movie, which stars Cohen as a faux Kazakh journalist making a fool out of himself and others in the country, has been a smash hit, grossing more than $116 million in the United States in the past five weeks.

Before you book your trip, I do have to tell you that you cannot actually buy a bride for 15 gallons of pesticide, so don't consider it if that's your reasoning behind the trip! Also, it might pay off to work with a travel agent on this one, rumor has it that not all hotels exist if you book a room online. You can't believe everything you hear in the movie, "I've had to tell many Americans that drinking horse urine is not popular in our country," said Roman Vassilenko, the embassy's press secretary, who is being bombarded by would be travelers.

So what is Kazakhstan all about? It's a small country in Asia that borders Russia and China. It measures approximately 1,049,155 sq. miles. The population is roughly 16,798,552, and the per person income is $1,197.71 per year (in US dollars) I'm thinking they should have access to Associated Content to bring up their annual income.

So what is there to see in Kazkhstan? Not much, from what I read. Long train rides, remoteness and horse sausage seem to be the popular thing. I'm not much of a horse eater myself, so I think I'll skip this trip. No offense to Borat!