Row erupts over NITB warning

A storm blew up yesterday when DUP Assembly Member for East Londonderry, Adrian McQuillan demanded an explanation from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board for the "bizarre" choice of words used in an advertisement promoting Londonderry, the United Kingdom City of Culture 2013.

In the advertisement, which was carried in yesterday's 'Sun' newspaper readers were offered the chance to win a cultural break to Londonderry. At the bottom of the advert it stated: "NITB does not accept any responsibility for personal safety during this trip".

NITB yesterday defended itself, saying the wording came from a "standard disclaimer" used by a communications agency that it works with.

However, after the issue was highlighted by Mr McQuillan, it said it would now reconsider how such disclaimers were worded in future.

Mr McQuillan said: "Putting a personal safety warning on an advertisement for a Northern Ireland destination seems a bizarre course of action for a body that is charged with marketing our Province as a tourism product, yet that is exactly what the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has done. Just what sort of a message does such a disclaimer send to people who may have been interested in entering the competition in order to win the chance to visit Londonderry?

"Londonderry has just recently won the prestigious UK City of Culture competition – a fact featured prominently in the advert – it is ridiculous that the NITB should have undermined that positive message in this way. I want an explanation for this wording. If the NITB were trying to make reference to people having to make special arrangements when in Londonderry, surely they could have put a few words on the advert saying 'see NITB website for full terms and conditions' and put the details online?

"Through their choice of words the NITB have managed to convey the impression that tourists aren't safe in Londonderry, which is hardly what one expects from a body charged with attracting tourists to Northern Ireland", said the DUP Assembly Member.

In response, a statement from NITB said: "NITB works with a communications agency to develop and place its advertisements and competitions in the press in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. When placing a competition in the press there are generic terms and conditions attached which are managed and placed by the communications agency. The clause in question is a standard disclaimer used by the agency for all competitions which involve travel to any destination. It is designed to cover any type of accident or personal injury which the competition organiser would expect personal or travel insurance to cover.

"NITB is pleased that this has been brought to our attention and will be addressing the re-wording for future competitions."

However, after the issue was highlighted by Mr McQuillan, it said it would now reconsider how such disclaimers were worded in future.

Mr McQuillan said: "Putting a personal safety warning on an advertisement for a Northern Ireland destination seems a bizarre course of action for a body that is charged with marketing our Province as a tourism product, yet that is exactly what the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has done.

"Just what sort of a message does such a disclaimer send to people who may have been interested in entering the competition in order to win the chance to visit Londonderry?

"Londonderry has just recently won the prestigious UK City of Culture competition – a fact featured prominently in the advert – it is ridiculous that the NITB should have undermined that positive message in this way. I want an explanation for this wording.

"If the NITB were trying to make reference to people having to make special arrangements when in Londonderry, surely they could have put a few words on the advert saying 'see NITB website for full terms and conditions' and put the details online?

"Through their choice of words the NITB have managed to convey the impression that tourists aren't safe in Londonderry, which is hardly what one expects from a body charged with attracting tourists to Northern Ireland", said the DUP Assembly Member.

In response, a statement from NITB said: "NITB works with a communications agency to develop and place its advertisements and competitions in the press in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. When placing a competition in the press there are generic terms and conditions attached which are managed and placed by the communications agency. The clause in question is a standard disclaimer used by the agency for all competitions which involve travel to any destination.

"It is designed to cover any type of accident or personal injury which the competition organiser would expect personal or travel insurance to cover.

"NITB is pleased that this has been brought to our attention and will be addressing the re-wording for future competitions."