World’s Worst Tourism Slogans
Please help us find the really bad ones. For Cities, States, Provinces, Regions and Countries. Also travel companies.
Here are s few contenders:
Hilton: “Travel should take you places.” (Yes, it should. I think we can all agree on that totally meaningless statement. Would be nicer to say “take you someplace unique” but if you stay in a Hilton that wouldn’t quite work since the rooms look virtually identical no matter which country you go to.)
Fargo, North Dakota’s “Always Warm!” (No, everyone knows it’s warm in the summer and you freeze your ass off the rest of the year.)
British Colombia’s “The Best Place on Earth.” Why not just come right out and tells us how fucking great B.C. really is.
“Andalucia. There’s only one.” If you can’t think of anything else to say about a place, this should work.
Annapolis, Maryland’s “Come Sail Away” — inviting visitors to come… and leave, preferably by boat.
“Wales. The Big Country” No, Canada is a big country. So is China. And India, Brazil, Australia. If you’re going to start making shit up, why not say Wales is a tropical island with white sandy beaches and attractive, well-tanned natives who serve free beer around the clock.
If you know of any really crappy slogans, please add them as a comment to this post. Or email them to titanicawards@gmail.com
Take the new 2010 World’s Worst Survey
(12 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)
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Vietnam The Hidden Charm (if its so hidden, why go to Vietnam to find it?)
Idaho’s “Great Potatoes, Tasty Destinations” is pretty bad. Many places in Idaho are very beautiful, but this dud of a slogan sounds sort of desperate and bland (forcing the comparison with potatoes?).
Hey, no disses on Annapolis! You need to experience sailing on the Bay in the Sailing Capital, I can probably arrange a visit for you to re-evaluate!
Hey I agree…no dissing Annapolis… my favorite place..COME SAIL AWAY is perfect.
I’m not dissing Annapolis (or Wales or Andalucia or B.C.) I’m dissing the slogan. If you’re part of the marketing team that came up with “Come Sail Away,” perhaps you can speak with the visitor’s bureau about giving a free sailboat rental to everyone who sets foot in the city. I think that would help.
You never know whether they are urban myths. I have never seen the one you list but I HAVE seen: It doesn’t always rain in Wales. Only I am not sure whether it was satire or not. Even if it is true.
Gareth Powell
Great Britain – you’re welcome to it.
Anchorage just recently came up with a new slogan ($300,000 in marketing consultant firm fees later): Big. Wild. Life.
I haven’t yet decided whether I love it (it’s an accurate description) or hate it (it’s just annoying). Perhaps you can help me decide.
Try this one, my employer…”Yankee Trails World Travel, people with the right connections.” May not be a travel destination slogan, but it is still pretty lame. At the very least, we’ll get you to those destinations.
I agree with the folks about Annapolis above. The slogan truly reflects the area.
Friend of mine who spent a month in B.C. (British Columbia) said that B.C. really means “Bring Cash”
I think it’s been changed, but Minot, ND’s infamous “Why Not Minot” slogan is just asking for problems.
There’s a small village in Finland called Joutseno. Their slogan is : Do it in Joutseno! Which, at least here in Finland, pretty much translates into “have sex in Joutseno”.
“Malaysia, truly Asia” ..As opposed to Malaysia, truly Latin America, I suppose..Bad slogan, bad rhyme, and lame TV ad complete with the Malaysia, truly Asia tag line sung at the end..
“Welcome to Connecticut – Land of Steady Habits”. My mother swears she saw this on a billboard as she returned home on I-84. My mom thinks it seems like Connecticutians are really boring but I get this ghastly picture of all these awful habits – heroin, smoking, you name it, and it all happens right in Connecticut! If you’ve got a steady habit – Welcome to our little corner of New England!
Always liked “Wyoming – Like No Place on Earth” (http://photovalet.com/CNWV01P04_06.html)
New Mexico has Area 54, but in Wyoming it’s the whole place. I’d imagine strangers feel welcome, and aliens even more so.
the Australian Tourism commission actually created an international television campaign around the phrase “Where the bloody hell are you?”.
It came complete with the obligitory supermodel wading through crystal clear ocean, who then turns to the viewer to ask this hilarious question in the most stridentaussie accent possible. The creative team may have meant for it to be funny but the humour really came from how embarrassing it was for all concerned.
Visit New Jersey, or smell it from NYC.
“Indiana: Restart Your Engines” What?
“Israel: You deserve to be here” Except, of course, if you are Palestinian
For Washington State: “Say Wa?” Mercifully now abandoned by the Tourism Office.
Wisconsin: We’re drunk.
Hamilton (New Zealand): HamiltON which doesn’t really work. The locals call it Hamiltron – city of the future, but most ous prefer – Hamilton – it’s not as bad as you think.
@Mike
Hey, I like to use that one for Oamaru
- or the variation of ‘Oamaru – It could be worse!’ :p
Great stuff. More please!
Wisconsin’s state slogan is “Live like you mean it!” Most residents think it
should be changed to “Drink like you mean it!”
“Auckland – The Big Little City.” Terrible. Even worse Ad which tried to portray JAFAland as some sophisticated European styled place instead of proudly promoting the best thing about Auckland – ITS IN NEW ZEALAND!
“Enjoy Jakarta” – whilst this is not the worst slogan, it has got to be up there with the tackiest & corniest ad campaigns in tourism history. It is no longer aired. This is the best clip I could find:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9InVe2oqHc
Transcript of commercial (last 5 lines are my favourite):
” Welcome to Jakarta
Shop till you drop
Fabulous item collection in great prices
Astonishing culinary sensation from all around the world
Get inspired in cozy leisure atmosphere
Explore beyond history and culture
A blessed of joy in thousands of unforgettable entertainment
Enlight your day
With love and happiness
Only in Jakarta
Enjoy Jakarta”
AMAZING THAILAND………….why not, about 13 coups in 20 years.
Fairbanks…”Golden Heart” city. Literally, the end of the road – and if/when you get there you will realize that “end of the road roughly equates to “bottom of the sewer”. A really grim place that gets even grimmer in January at -50 below zero.
Dunedin, New Zealand. “Dunedin it’s all right here!” having lived in Dunedin for the last four years I can confirm that it’s alright
a few years back auckland city (nz)spent large amounts of money with an advertising agency to come up with “auckland eh!”
it went down like a lead balloon.
awesome!
@Doug Lansky
How about – Levin, you’re standing in it
Hamilton, new zealand airport sign :black background four white arrows like the points of the compass, text ‘Hamilton’, turned to partner,”Anywhere but here!”
these are the same people who charge you for long stay parking in a paddock, and mow around your car. I hear they have since upgraded.
@Scarfie
Classic!
Lamest slogan ever. Victoria State slogan , Australia
” Victoria , the place to be ” What does that mean ? The place to be what ??? Bored ? Comatose ? What ??
Hamilton (New Zealand) slogan USED to be ‘Hamilton, more than you expected’ – widely interpreted as ‘Hamilton, not as bad as you feared’.
New Hampshire (USA) road signs + bumper stickers:
BRAKE FOR MOOSE
IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
@Dave the rave Re: the “Amazing Thailand” — yes, so amazing we pour gallons of human blood on the ground for our protests!
“Thailand, Land of Smiles” and of course “Cambodia, Land of Smiles.” Except when they are protesting, sometimes about the other smiling country.
“Maryland, the Old Line State”
I have no idea what that means.
Moorhead, MN: “More than you expect!”
As long as you weren’t expecting much, it’s completely accurate.
hey british columbia is a great place like you’ve ever been there!
the olympics were just held ehre
Ulsan, South Korea: “Ulsan For You!” If inhaling heavy industry pollutants serves you well, then Ulsan is most certainly…for you. Also, the slogan is always posted in English, as if this city were as easily navigable for foreigners who don’t speak Korean as Seoul…which is not even close to being the truth.
Morrinsville-central north island NZ:…’From here it’s not far to anywhere’…That was okay till someone figured out that if you were here you would want to go somewhere else.
Reno- “the biggest little city in the world”
or trashiest
This isnt the article but shows great examples of city slogans that were in the article. Mraw
one of the best was Hong Kong’s a few years ago – the slogan “Hong Kong – Take Your Breath Away” was launched a few months before the SARS outbreak in the city. Well, It certainly did take breaths away!!!!
it was such an unfortunate coincident that the Tourism board decided to scrap the entire campaign almost immediately – but not quick enough…