Just been speaking to a neighbour of mine, who works in a senior role at Northumberland Tourism Ltd. Whilst as communications professionals, we winced at Calder Bateman’s almighty and extremely expensive cock-up (although, to be fair, who on earth signed this project off?) and smiled wryly at various government officials claiming the ad was never meant to represent Alberta directly but was simply portraying a “tone”, we are clapping our hands at Northumbria’s inadvertent publicity.
Now that the primary industries of fishing and mining have all but disappeared from the county, tourism is our principal source of revenue. Like every other area of the UK, we have been hit hard by the economic climate and need all the help we can get to promote our outstandingly beautiful countryside and coastline. Whilst we are sympathetic towards Alberta’s red-faced gaff, we are grateful for its endorsement.
As for the new tourist industry “approach” of conveying a “tone” for an area, I wonder if we will turn our attentions to promoting the lively social activities enjoyed by our local rural communities. Perhaps they’re over there, filming the Vegas Strip as we speak….
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