Ad campaign aimed at bringing British tourists to Western Australia is mocked

An advertisement campaign aimed at bringing British tourists to Western Australia has faced a barrage of backlash for featuring a couple watching the sun set in the wrong direction.

The awkward blunder was made in an advert released on Friday as part of a federal tourism promotion, which aims to attract British visitors to Western Australia’s lesser-known tourist hotspots.

The image shows a couple sitting in a prime position to view the sunset at the top of a hill in Kings Park, in inner Perth, but embarrassingly the advert pictures the couple facing the wrong way.

Appearing to forget the sun actually sets in the west, the advert pictures the couple facing the east.

However, when made aware of the mistake, a spokesman for Tourism Australia confirmed the advert would be amended before it was released on social media, reported The West Australian. 

Despite the error, the promotion, which was launched by Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham, was designed to ‘expand the tourism appeal’ of Western Australia.

The inclusion of Western Australia in the UnDiscover Australia campaign comes as Western Australia Tourism Minister Paul Papalia claims the state doesn’t get a ‘comparable amount of market time’ compared to other destinations across the country.

(File picture) The image shows the sun setting in the west from a viewpoint in inner Perth

‘The east coast has experienced a tourism boom which is understandable given the profile and attention Sydney and its neighbouring cities receive when the Federal Government markets our country to the world,’ Mr Papalia said.

He implored his federal counterparts to ‘invest in tourism’ in the state.

‘We are the western gateway to the country and as air space and accommodation reach capacity in Sydney and Melbourne, Perth and our beautiful regions will help Tourism Australia continue to grow visitor numbers,’ he added.

(File picture) The campaign was designed to ‘expand the tourism appeal’ of Western Australia (Perth, pictured) 

However, Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham, refuted the claims, stating the latest campaign was an example of where Western Australia was featured.

He added that the campaign highlighted to tourists that there was more to Australia than the ‘Reef, the Rock and the Bridge’.

‘The more British tourists we can lure to WA the more cash they will splash in local businesses which helps to boost the economy and create more local jobs,’ Mr Birmingham said. 

Western Australia is believed to see more than 149,000 British tourists travel to the state each year, which boosts the local economy by around $277million. 

Sydney had 4.05million international visitors in the year ending September 2018. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tourism Western Australia for comment.