<p>Tourism campaigns are made for one sole purpose and that is to&nbsp;boost a country's economy by attracting tourists and&nbsp;promoting&nbsp;their cities. But, unfortunately, some do the exact opposite.&nbsp;There're so many embarrassing, cringy and sometimes even appalling tourism ads out there. The latest one being from Italy, which uses an&nbsp;AI version of Botticelli's Venus dressed up as an influencer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Let's take a quick look at 6&nbsp;of the most cringy tourism ad campaigns of all time!</p>

<h2><strong>Worst tourism campaigns of all time</strong></h2>

<h2>Hong Kong</h2>

<p>Back in 2003, the Hong Kong Tourism Board had to withdraw a long-running ad campaign that used the phrase, "Hong Kong: Takes Your Breath Away"&nbsp;because it brought back memories of the deadly SARS epidemic which broke out in the city the same year. The campaign was created by Banks Hoggins O'Shea FCB and was pulled down because of sensitivity over the strapline.</p>

<p>"The ads were commissioned before the outbreak began. There were a couple of them which ran slightly later than we would have liked, owing to difficulties withdrawing them," a spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board said at the time, confirming that all the ads had&nbsp;been pulled.</p>

<p><img alt="hong" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="51f9c534-3dbf-4f0b-999d-e8d7f503ad16" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/16610860ef5d7d6f52a.png" /></p>

<h2>Italy</h2>

<p>If Italy's tourism ministry hoped to make waves with a new tourism campaign this year, they&nbsp;certainly did so, however, not in the way the government&nbsp;would have imagined or anticipated.&nbsp;Their latest campaign titled 'Open to Meraviglia', which was presented last week, is facing backlash for using a computerised version of Botticelli's Venus as an influencer travelling across different tourist spots in Italy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The campaign has caused Italians to lose their minds with fury, with an Italian netizen saying, "Only a poor mind can transform one of the greatest masterpieces into an influencer with trendy little dresses!"<br />
Another wrote, "They look like lousy prints from a Venetian tourist shop."</p>

<p>Meanwhile, an eagle-eyed observer also noticed that the winery featured in a video explaining the tourism campaign was actually in Slovenia and not Italy.</p>

<p>Check out the campaign below!</p>

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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTbfk1INgR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by italia.it (@italiait)</a></p>
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<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-masterchef-australia-judge-and-renowned-chef-jock-zonfrillo-passes-away-at-46-587689">MasterChef Australia judge and renowned chef Jock Zonfrillo passes away at 46</a></p>

<h2>Syria</h2>

<p>In 2016, the Syrian government released a series of cringe-worthy and bizarre ad campaigns to woo tourists and boost the economy of the civil war-torn country. In one of the ads featuring clips from Aleppo the theme song of the popular TV series <em>Game of Thrones </em>was used, for literally no logical reason. And, what's to be noted is that the ad carefully omitted scenes of destruction while promoting the war-ravaged city. For obvious reasons, the ad didn't sit down well with many netizens.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GIdtA4fRyyw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<h2>Lithuania</h2>

<p>Lithuania, a tiny European country, ended up promoting other countries in their own tourism campaign in 2016, as&nbsp;a state-funded ad campaign featured stock images of various Nordic and eastern European countries. And ironically, the campaign was titled "Real is Beautiful". The head of Lithuania's State Tourism Department,&nbsp;Jurgita Kazlauskiene,&nbsp;resigned in the wake of the scandal in 2017.</p>

<h2>Rhode Island</h2>

<p>Rhode Island in the US was mocked mercilessly online for using pictures of famous eateries located in Massachusetts, a different US state, for their own 2016 ad campaign. Rhode Island's chief marketing officer had to resign as the&nbsp;backlash grew. The ad also&nbsp;featured a confusing slogan, which triggered a meme-fest online.</p>

<h2>Singapore</h2>

<p>In 2014, Singapore's Tourism Board released an ad, which can be best described as a cringe-fest. The three-minute-long video, which seems like a parody but isn't, is aimed at the Philippine market and followed a young couple celebrating their anniversary. In the whole video, they're just seen pointing at things and saying cliche phrases like - "I like coming to Singapore" and "Honey, look!". The video was deleted from Singapore Tourism Board's official YouTube page as soon as it started going viral for all the wrong reasons.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Tourism campaigns are made for one sole purpose and that is to boost a country's economy by attracting tourists and promoting their cities. But, unfortunately, some do the exact opposite.

Tourism campaigns are made for one sole purpose and that is to boost a country's economy by attracting tourists and promoting their cities. But, unfortunately, some do the exact opposite. There're so many embarrassing, cringy and sometimes even appalling tourism ads out there. The latest one being from Italy, which uses an AI version of Botticelli's Venus dressed up as an influencer. Let's take a quick look at 6 of the most cringy tourism ad campaigns of all time! Worst tourism campaigns of all time Hong Kong Back in 2003, the Hong Kong Tourism Board had to withdraw a long-running ad campaign that used the phrase, "Hong Kong: Takes Your Breath Away" because it brought back memories of the deadly SARS epidemic which broke out in the city the same year. The campaign was created by Banks Hoggins O'Shea FCB and was pulled down because of sensitivity over the strapline. "The ads were commissioned before the outbreak began. There were a couple of them which ran slightly later than we would have liked, owing to difficulties withdrawing them," a spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board said at the time, confirming that all the ads had been pulled. Italy If Italy's tourism ministry hoped to make waves with a new tourism campaign this year, they certainly did so, however, not in the way the government would have imagined or anticipated. Their latest campaign titled 'Open to Meraviglia', which was presented last week, is facing backlash for using a computerised version of Botticelli's Venus as an influencer travelling across different tourist spots in Italy. The campaign has caused Italians to lose their minds with fury, with an Italian netizen saying, "Only a poor mind can transform one of the greatest masterpieces into an influencer with trendy little dresses!" Another wrote, "They look like lousy prints from a Venetian tourist shop." Meanwhile, an eagle-eyed observer also noticed that the winery featured in a video explaining the tourism campaign was actually in Slovenia and not Italy. Check out the campaign below! View this post on Instagram A post shared by italia.it (@italiait) Also read: MasterChef Australia judge and renowned chef Jock Zonfrillo passes away at 46 Syria In 2016, the Syrian government released a series of cringe-worthy and bizarre ad campaigns to woo tourists and boost the economy of the civil war-torn country. In one of the ads featuring clips from Aleppo the theme song of the popular TV series Game of Thrones was used, for literally no logical reason. And, what's to be noted is that the ad carefully omitted scenes of destruction while promoting the war-ravaged city. For obvious reasons, the ad didn't sit down well with many netizens. Lithuania Lithuania, a tiny European country, ended up promoting other countries in their own tourism campaign in 2016, as a state-funded ad campaign featured stock images of various Nordic and eastern European countries. And ironically, the campaign was titled "Real is Beautiful". The head of Lithuania's State Tourism Department, Jurgita Kazlauskiene, resigned in the wake of the scandal in 2017. Rhode Island Rhode Island in the US was mocked mercilessly online for using pictures of famous eateries located in Massachusetts, a different US state, for their own 2016 ad campaign. Rhode Island's chief marketing officer had to resign as the backlash grew. The ad also featured a confusing slogan, which triggered a meme-fest online. Singapore In 2014, Singapore's Tourism Board released an ad, which can be best described as a cringe-fest. The three-minute-long video, which seems like a parody but isn't, is aimed at the Philippine market and followed a young couple celebrating their anniversary. In the whole video, they're just seen pointing at things and saying cliche phrases like - "I like coming to Singapore" and "Honey, look!". The video was deleted from Singapore Tourism Board's official YouTube page as soon as it started going viral for all the wrong reasons. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Italy, Hong Kong, Egypt & more: Worst tourism campaigns of all time

<p>Ten people were killed after a tourist bus collided into a car in southern Egypt on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Among those killed include four French, one Belgian and five Egyptian tourists.</p>

<p>A clip circulating online purportedly showed a tourist bus in flames with people trying to put out the fire. WION could not verify the authenticity of the video.</p>

<p>Fourteen others —eight French and six Belgians —were taken to hospital with "broken bones, bruises and superficial injuries", governor of the southern province of Aswan Ashraf Attia&nbsp;said, according to AFP.</p>

<p>The injured tourists are said to be in a stable condition.</p>

<p>The accident took place on the 300 kilometres (186 mile) road connecting Aswan and the famed Abu Simbel temple further south.</p>

<p>This is the second accident that has taken place in a week. On April 8, a bus crashed on a highway near the Red Sea, killing three including two Polish tourists.</p>

<p>Egypt has been reporting thousands of traffic accidents every year. Poor transportation and safety records, poor enforcement of traffic laws are just some of the examples cited for such deadly accidents.</p>

<p>According to Egypt’s official statistics agency, there were around 10,000 road accidents in 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, leaving over 3,480 dead. In 2018, there were 8,480 car accidents, causing over 3,080 deaths, reports AP.</p>

<p>The series of accidents come at a time when Egypt has been struggling to keep its tourism industry running that has been marred by Covid pandemic and low tourist turnout on the account of political upheaval after the country's 2011 Arab Spring revolution.</p>

<p>The tourism sector employs some two million people in a country of 103 million and generates more than 10 per cent of GDP.</p>

<p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>


Ten people were killed after a tourist bus collided into a car in southern Egypt on Wednesday. Among those killed include four French, one Belgian and five Egyptian tourists.

Ten people were killed after a tourist bus collided into a car in southern Egypt on Wednesday. Among those killed include four French, one Belgian and five Egyptian tourists. A clip circulating online purportedly showed a tourist bus in flames with people trying to put out the fire. WION could not verify the authenticity of the video. Fourteen others —eight French and six Belgians —were taken to hospital with "broken bones, bruises and superficial injuries", governor of the southern province of Aswan Ashraf Attia said, according to AFP. The injured tourists are said to be in a stable condition. The accident took place on the 300 kilometres (186 mile) road connecting Aswan and the famed Abu Simbel temple further south. This is the second accident that has taken place in a week. On April 8, a bus crashed on a highway near the Red Sea, killing three including two Polish tourists. Egypt has been reporting thousands of traffic accidents every year. Poor transportation and safety records, poor enforcement of traffic laws are just some of the examples cited for such deadly accidents. According to Egypt’s official statistics agency, there were around 10,000 road accidents in 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, leaving over 3,480 dead. In 2018, there were 8,480 car accidents, causing over 3,080 deaths, reports AP. The series of accidents come at a time when Egypt has been struggling to keep its tourism industry running that has been marred by Covid pandemic and low tourist turnout on the account of political upheaval after the country's 2011 Arab Spring revolution. The tourism sector employs some two million people in a country of 103 million and generates more than 10 per cent of GDP. (With inputs from agencies)

10 tourists, including 4 French and a Belgian, killed in horrific Egypt bus crash

The tourism sector is the main source of foreign currencies for Egypt & the countries most iconic tourist attractions are the ancient pyramids of Giza. In a bid to revive tourism amid the pandemic the country is renovating the pyramid plateau & making it more tourist friendly.

Egypt opens first ever restaurant on pyramid plateau

Egyptian authority is trying hard to revive its battered tourism sector as tourism accounts for 15% of Egypt's national output. Ancient wonders are lying deserted due to the pandemic COVID-19 outbreak.

Egypt authority tries to revive its battered tourism sector, ancient wonders lie deserted

Egyptian officials say they are making every effort to reassure tourists about their safety and encourage them to visit in the hope that the sector revives gradually.

Egypt's tourism sector battered by COVID-19 rules

WION Dispatch: Egypt's tourism fighting for revival amid pandemic

Egypt has reopened its world-famous pyramids of Giza in a bid to help its tourism industry recover from the losses that occurred due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Watch report.

Fineprint: Giza pyramids welcome tourists after 3 months | COVID-19 Pandemic

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