Friday February 28, 2003 11:00 PM
HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) - A model on a beach might not surprise anybody in the Atlantic Ocean island of Bermuda. But a diver swimming in a school of barracuda?
Bermuda's Department of Tourism is defending its use of photographs from Hawaii and elsewhere in a promotional campaign, saying it's standard practice.
Generic stock pictures often are used in advertising, Michael DeCouto, the government agency's assistant director for marketing, said in comments published Friday by The Royal Gazette newspaper.
He said the photos were used by advertising agency Arnold McGrath to create ``an emotion.'' The Boston-based company did not immediately return calls seeking comment. DeCouto also could not be reached for further comment.
Local photographer Graeme Outerbridge investigated the photographs after he recognized one, of a model on a beach, as being from Hawaii rather than Bermuda. It was published in February's edition of Travel and Leisure magazine.
Outerbridge said the practice was dishonest.
``It's clearly not a Bermuda beach,'' he said. ``It's pretty outrageous for us to be using elements of other tourist destinations in our advertising campaign.''
The campaign includes two other photographs that DeCouto agreed were not of Bermuda - one of a person swimming with a dolphin and one of a diver swimming in what appears to be a school of barracuda.
Such schools of barracuda aren't found off the shores of Bermuda, and would be misleading to divers who saw the photo, Outerbridge said.
DeCouto said it was impossible to tell what kind of fish they were.
The advertising campaign, which began in January, targets wealthy American adults and portrays Bermuda as sophisticated and close to the United States while retaining a British colonial charm.
FROM GUARDIAN UK |
