[karajorma]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/25/ottawa-northumberland-advert

The sea was blue, the beach was gold and the children skipping through the sand dunes seemed a testament to the healthy joys of holidays in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Tourist officials and the national government in Ottawa were delighted with the promotional clip, part of a £14m attempt to offset controversy over oil extraction in Alberta's beautiful wildlands.

But hours of sleuthing by a puzzled sailing enthusiast, aware that Alberta has no coastline, have revealed that the idyll was filmed 5,000 miles away across the Atlantic. The girl with the flying hair and her friend were romping on the sweep of sand at Beadnell Bay near Bamburgh, Northumberland, where the North Sea rolls in from Lindisfarne.

"We think it's quite funny - a landlocked province in Canada presenting an image of itself as an island," said Sheelagh Caygill of Northumberland Tourism, which is now fondly hoping to piggy-back on the international campaign. News of the gaffe is spreading like wildfire on the internet with tags such as: "Come to Alberta - no, wait, it's Britain."

[Dilmah G]

n00bs, it's amazing what lengths advertising companies/this place in general go to promote the place. Alberta having no coastline... FAIL

[karajorma]

They do have lakes so it's not completely stupid to use a beach in shots of the place. But it is still about the biggest FAIL you can make when trying to convince people that your province is worth visiting.

[The E]

Ottawa has responded by suggesting that the choice of Northumberland symbolised the fact that "Albertans are a worldly people". Tom Olsen, head of media relations for Canada's prime minister Stephen Harper, said: "There's no attempt to mislead here. The picture used just fitted the mood and tone of what we were trying to do."

His take that the British children were "a symbol of the future" was echoed by Olga Guthrie of Alberta's public affairs bureau, who is managing the campaign. She said: "This represents Albertans' concern for the future of the world. There's no attempt to make people think that the place pictured is Alberta."

Nice try, PR people. You still fail. Is it really that hard to find a picture of an Albertan lake that fits the same description? Or, you know, using a camera to shoot one yourself?

[Dilmah G]

Yeah, filming the ACTUAL province. To think, it would've cost less which is a definite plus in the recession.

[colecampbell666]

Now was the real filming in Newfieland or England, as both places share names? (Northumberland, Lindsfarne)

[Grizzly]

Yeah, filming the ACTUAL province. To think, it would've cost less which is a definite plus in the recession.

One might just be suprised, too.

* -Joshua- , on another note, now suspects that adverts for vacations to the UK are actually filmed in Ireland...

[StarSlayer]

I'd like to know if any sorry sods didn't bother to look at a map first and were disappointed by the lack of ocean beach when they visited.

[MP-Ryan]

We have countless lakes, rivers, and the friggin rocky mountains - and they took footage of an ocean beach?  Seriously?  *sigh*

Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen... but no, beach shots of an ocean beach in a landlocked province.  Wow.

[Rick James]

Alberta's nice, really. I like living here.

The problem is that unless you head for the mountains the scenery while driving in the countryside consists of (in order) trees, uncultivated field, rolling hills, cows, trees, farmer's field, farmer's field, farmer's field, trees, field, trees, cows, llama pasture.

[ShadowsOfLight]

Yeah, I wasn't too happy when I heard about this - kind of embarrassing...

[Rodo]

reminds me of those "loose 10 pounds in 3 seconds with super duper amerilambbb pill!!!" commercials

[Angelus]

Alberta's nice, really. I like living here.

The problem is that unless you head for the mountains the scenery while driving in the countryside consists of (in order) trees, uncultivated field, rolling hills, cows, trees, farmer's field, farmer's field, farmer's field, trees, field, trees, cows, llama pasture.

Hm, maybe that's the reason they choose to show a beach instead of...

...trees, uncultivated field, rolling hills, cows, trees, farmer's field, farmer's field, farmer's field, trees, field, trees, cows, llama pasture...

 

[Mobius]

No offense to the fellow Canadian HLPers, but I hard believe tourists visit Canada thanks to its weather. Everytime I see the weather forecast on BBC World News Canadian cities seem to be in a perpetual ice age.

[karajorma]

While people visit Northumberland for the weather?

Maybe if they really, really like rain.

[colecampbell666]

No offense to the fellow Canadian HLPers, but I hard believe tourists visit Canada thanks to its weather. Everytime I see the weather forecast on BBC World News Canadian cities seem to be in a perpetual ice age.

That's why you visit B.C., you can use the cold to your advantage. And they have defined seasons. Here on the other side we have slush, warmer slush, super humid summer (Florida without the heat) and Super-cold without snow.

[tinfoil]

BC can be pretty damn warm too. I've suffered through 40 degree (Celsius) plus. (100+ Fahrenheit)

And, that add is bull**** anyway. Nobody comes to Alberta for our lakes, they come for the mountains and the stampede. (AKA Gong-Show) 

They should have taken a picture like this, it looks better anyway.

[colecampbell666]

You're making me drool.

*Pets K2s*...

[tinfoil]

K2 Skis? Cause' that's not a good place for skiing.

[colecampbell666]

No, but Lake Louise is.