When Rhode Island Messed Up

Some may recall that in 2016, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation made the mistake of showing footage from Iceland in their new video. The video was part of a $5 million tourism campaign rollout that cost the state’s marketing director her job.

.

The video briefly showed a skateboarder in front of the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavik. The mistake was mocked on social media and made international news. Embarrassed state tourism officials quickly yanked the video off YouTube, but not before the governor had shared it on Twitter.

A second mistake appeared as a typo, claiming Rhode Island is home to 20 per cent of the country’s historic landmarks – instead of less than 2 per cent.

Now, it’s happened again.

Scotland Travel Campaign Used an Image From China by Mistake

“An advertising image meant to showcase the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands has been publicly withdrawn after a sharp‑eyed audience noticed the landscape and bus in the photo were not Scottish at all. Users online identified the scene as appearing to be from China or its border region with North Korea.

The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland have now removed the image from their communications.

The mistaken image had been reproduced across government social media, partner transport sites, and advertising showed a bus on a winding mountain road, flanked by bright green crash barriers and dramatic volcanic‑like terrain. At first glance, it appeared to evoke Scotland’s famous rugged scenery.

However, sharp observers on social channels quickly pointed out that the road infrastructure, barrier colour and even the vehicle did not resemble Scottish settings. Instead, they identified the scene as likely being in China’s Changbai Mountains near the China–North Korea border.”

Public Reaction: From Outrage to Humour

“Once the discrepancy went viral, discussion spread beyond typical transport and tourism circles. Many on social media mocked the apparent oversight, with users sharing side‑by‑side comparisons of the campaign imagery and photos from Chinese landscapes that clearly matched distinctive features featured in the advert.

Critics argued that the mistake made Scotland appear careless at best, and embarrassed at worst, especially given the nation’s rich photographic heritage and strong visual identity tied to local landscapes. Calls emerged for more rigorous vetting of imagery used in official marketing, especially for campaigns aiming to promote Scotland’s natural appeal.

The Scottish Highlands campaign serves as a prompt for governments and tourism boards everywhere to scrutinise how visuals are sourced, verified and approved — particularly when representing distinct geographic identities. Photos are not mere decoration; they are core to how audiences perceive a place even before booking travel.

Ensuring that marketing assets are not just compelling but geographically faithful helps preserve credibility, boosts trust, and strengthens destination branding in an increasingly competitive global market.”

Source: Travel and Tour World, excerpts from article published on March 29, 2026