The Borat Effect: Film-Induced Tourism Gone Wrong

Abstract

This research estimates the economic impact of an increase in tourism to Kazakhstan as a result of the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, released in 2006. The film, controversial for its shock value, portrayed Kazakhstan in a negative light, yet raised awareness of the country as a tourist destination. Despite the negative depiction of Kazakhstan, international tourist expenditure increased by 6.4%. However, the increase in tourism was estimated to have an overall adverse effect on the economy. This adverse effect on the rest of the economy overshadowed the positive benefits of tourism.

Keywords

film-induced tourism economic impact computable general equilibrium model Borat Kazakhstan

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