Red-faced travel agency loses its bearings

©warrengoldswain via 123RF

If you are Canadian you can be excused for being confused. If you are South African, especially a Capetonian, you can be excused for being even more confused by confused Canadians asking you where the beautiful Hanauma Bay can be found.

Canadians last week were quick to rush to book their summer holiday and cash in on cheap flights to Hawaii. Driving the rush of many was a breathtaking photograph.

Appearing in newspapers across that country, albeit briefly, was a photograph of a young woman gripped in the throes of a seven-day holiday, arms outstretched, standing on a low rock wall overlooking a beautiful bay - Hout Bay.

Hout Bay was - for 24 hours - marketed as Hawaii by the international travel agency, Flight Centre.

Advertised by the company's Canadian office, the advert appeared in newspapers, on posters in the company's in shop windows and on the internet, bemusing many, especially South African expats living in Canada.

Aaron Stubbings, Flight Centre Canada's retail marketing leader, said the error was an "honest mistake". "It was purely a human mistake that wasn't caught prior to approval. The image was incorrectly filed.

"As soon as it was noticed by someone who recognised it was an error, we corrected it everywhere possible and all new advertisements coming out to promote this Hawaii promotion will have the correct Hawaii image."

The faux pas left many South African expats living in Vancouver laughing a little, especially as it appeared beneath a damning article on how President Jacob Zuma survived an impeachment bid, with some wondering if it was a delayed April Fool's joke.

Source: The Times