Let’s think this over. British Petroleum pollutes New Orleans’ shores with the biggest oil spill in history, and the city, who’s tourism business has already been horribly devastated by Hurricane Katrina, is a little bit upset.
So, when New Orleans’ new tourism campaign is satirically interpreted as being “anti-British,” should anyone really be surprised, or ever mildly upset? Due to the controversy, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau pulled the ads last night, but not before they ran in major markets like Chicago, Atlanta and Houston.
Funny enough, the $5 million campaign was funded through a $15 million check given to New Orleans by BP to help make amends for the oil spill, which gravely injured New Orleans’ $5 billion tourism industry. Though the Guardian’s original article criticizing the campaign was meant to be satirical, the New Orleans CVB worried about upsetting British tourists, who make up the majority of foreign visitors to the city.