Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Officials in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek have announced their latest slogan derived from a pro-tourism advertising campaign that solicited inputs from the general public.
The winning entry is: "Bishkek... it means the paddle that is used to churn fermented mare's milk, our national drink!"
(Note: The fermented mare's milk drink is called 'kumis'.)
Other less-inspiring slogans that made it to the finals include:
- "Come to Bishkek between mid-June & early October and help us milk our mares."
- "Bishkek -- formerly known as Pishpek."
- "Kyrgyzstan is for lovers... of kumis."
- "My yurt is your yurt."
- "K-Y-R-G-Y-Z-S-T-A-N spells Kyrgyzstan!"
The Kyrgyzstan government relies heavily on income from tourism. Over the past two years, however, Kyrgyzstan has lost much of its tourism to neighbour Kazakhstan. This is mainly attributed to Sascha Baron Cohen's hit film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
