7 worst tourism slogans

Plus one recommendation for a slogan we should adopt

I ONCE VISITED Indonesia and saw a massive tourism slogan in bright lights on a rooftop:

“VISIT JAKARTA”

The sign was IN Jakarta, so everyone who saw it had either (a) already complied, or (b) already lived there. Well done, guys.
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People always have trouble creating intelligent tourism campaigns. Andalucia has a slogan:

“Andalucia. There’s only one.”

This is short and neat, but it could apply to any location.

“Hell. There’s only one.”

“Malaysia’s Kundang Landfill. There’s only one.”

“My toilet. There’s only one.”

See what I mean? Also, it’s too easy for graffiti artists (like me) to add to.

“Andalucia. There’s only one. THANK GOD.”
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A country which makes a similar mistake is New Zealand, which uses the slogan

“100 Percent Pure New Zealand.”

I mean, Satan could use the same line:

“Hell. 100 Percent Pure Hell.”

 

Journalists attending the European Union summit recently were handed black t-shirts bearing the slogan:

“I feel Slovenia.”

I think most people mis-read it as “I feel slovenly”. Journalists (a species which tends to dress badly) probably thought it was aimed at them.
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The Hong Kong Tourism Board used to use:

“Hong Kong will take your breath away.”

Until scientists discovered that it was true. There was so much air-pollution that residents were told to go to neighboring Macau every time they wanted to take a deep breath.
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Bangladesh used to have an official slogan saying:

“Come to Bangladesh before the tourists.”

It sounded like a warning: “When you get here you won’t find any other visitors and you’ll think: Uh-oh. Why am I the only person here? What do they know that I don’t?”
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Ireland used to have a slogan which said:

“The Island of Memories.”

Since Ireland recently went horribly broke after several years as one of the most successful economies in Europe, this is definitely a good time to revive that slogan, but for the residents, rather than the tourists.
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For a long time, the Spanish Tourist Board had a slogan which said:

“Smile! You are in Spain!”

This was presumably aimed at unsmiling visitors who stumble around the world and are never really quite sure which country they are in. (There are quite a few of us around.)
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The best “regional” slogan ever, in my book, is “Keep Austin Weird” from a town of that name in Texas.

A librarian named Red Wassenich came out with that phrase spontaneously in a phone call to the local radio station. What he meant was that his town, which is full of small, independent businesses, differed from other towns, which were full of boring chain-stores like 7-Eleven and McDonalds and Starbucks. The town promptly adopted it as its official slogan.

I applaud Austin’s way of thinking—especially since I live in Asia, a place where small, independent businesses are being driven out of business at astonishing speed by boring chain-stores such as 7-Eleven and McDonalds and Starbucks.

So readers, skip the franchise stores and buy a rice lunchbox at your local café today.

KEEP ASIA WEIRD.
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Comments

[Jason]

Hong Kong: Play Monopoly for Real!

[Paul]

My current home -
Hong Kong:
A Fragrant Harbor, for all the wrong reasons.

My old home -
South Florida (retirement capital of the US) :
Where Americans go to die.

;-)

[Ram]

Here are some more...

Australia - Where the bloody hell are you?
http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=rn0lwGk4u9o

Panama - It will never leave you
http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=M8QJLSIZQ-c

Colombia - The only risk is wanting to stay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DXqELtQQbs

[Dancer]

Australia: Where the bloody hell are you?

[Dancer]

Indonesia: Visit Indonesia 2008. Celebrating 100 Years of Nation's Awakening

Since when did that country fell asleep?

[Dancer]

Costa Rica: No Artificial Ingredients

[Maharlika]

Nah! I agree that 7-eleven, Mcdonalds and Starbucks are boring stores who get by because of their names. And yes, I buy from local stores.

Philippines: 2010 Most Dangerous Country for Journalists (beating Iraq)

Nury, have you been here?

[fardel aka Faye libad]

US of a
love it or leave it

[Lift Lurker]

What tourism industry need is hardcore businessmen to come up with very competitive slogans:

Australia: There's nothing like it

Competitive slogan:
Sri Lanka: Just like Australia

Indonesia:100 Years of Nation's Awakening

Competitive slogan:
Korea: 200 Years of Nation's Awakening

and so on

[Christy aka Miss-Conception]

@ Lift Lurker

wow
That could lead to wars @_@

Following on your idea --
Australia: Where the bloody hell are you?

New Zealand: Relax, dude, they're all here

[Ram]

South Korea was thinking of some tourism slogans like "Sparkling Korea", "Dynamic Korea" and finally came up with "Korea Be Inspired".

North Korean tourism board[Do they have one???...even if they do, ll anyone go there for tourism???] probably can use some homophones of South Korean slogans like "Die-in-a-minute Korea" or "Spot-Killing Korea".

Or they can go for their own like "All New-Clear Korea".

[kartini]

Where's Andalucia?
When I was in Barcelona, the tour guide said that all the people who were frowning were the Catalunians(people of Barcelona). SO if you saw someone smiling on the streets of Barcelona, that's definitely a tourist! Haha.

[the sad movie lover]

very funny..mr jam, you never let me down..your posts always make my day

[Ram]

@Kartini...

Its also in Spain...The one down south... Very close to Morocco...Just separated by the strait of Gibraltar...

Andalusia is mentioned in the famous book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.

[Lift Lurker]

Congo: There's Only Two.

Bangladesh: Best Indian Food in the World

[Kaamil]

@Lift Lurker
Dude you must have met a Sri Lankan cuz that's exactly the kind of thing we'd pull. :)

@Christy
Good one on the Aussie slogan. I had an Australian Teacher during high school. I'd love to show him that.

I think that tourism boards should capitalize on artists to boost the country's popularity. I am now an ardent fan of India after watching this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZq4TQ4s_x4

[Minkha]

A German comedian came up with a slogan promoting Poland for German tourists: 'Come to Poland, your car is already here'.

(explanation note in case you need it: in the 90-ties Polish "private entrepreneurs" would bring old cars from Germany and sell them locally; it was done on a massive scale).

[Mahjuja]

Two common tourism ads I see are:

Incredible India and
Malaysia, truly Asia,
hmm...where everyone except ethnic Malays are treated as minorities, I hear.

[Sabrina]

'100 years of national awakening' originally refers to the awakening of struggle for independence in 1908. (So it's now 102 years)

Another one:
'Makassar: Great Expectation'. (I once lived there, but I still don't get what they want us to expect.)

[kartini]

@Ram
Thanks. Now I understand the Andalusian slogan.

[Vernette]

"Malaysia, truly Asia" has been around for decades... maybe one of the best (and true) slogans I've come across so far. Although, yes, Muslims (yes, not only ethnic Malays) are majority, but, you get the real mixture of different culture (the way languages are spoken, traditions are adopted, traditional clothing are worn, mixture of cuisines -- ppl call it fusion these days...), which I haven't seen anywhere else in Asia...

[Liza A Samad]

Malaysia is truly Asia only outside the capital city. Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding apartments has been taken over by Africans and the Middle East~ :)

[shrynne]

Rude Britain can be one.. which other country has purposely, knowingly given itself such names as Shitterton, Cock lane, Bell End :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rude_Britain

[Nadiafriza.wordpress.com]

dear mr jam,

this is just too funny. maybe because i'm an indonesian myself :D