Virgin Blue gets it wrong
Virgin Blue has been forced to apologise and dump part of its new ad campaign after offending the citizens of NSW outback town Dubbo. The ad, which appeared in yesterday’s papers , was seen as a backhanded insult to the people of the town and has been pulled.
“There’s no points expiry if you earn or redeem points within any three-year period – so you won’t have to take a holiday in Dubbo if you really wanted to fly to Vanuatu,” the ad said.
National Party MP Duncan Gay immediately responded with anger on behalf of his constituents, claiming they would be offended by the inference from the airlines markerting gurus.
“They sit around in their black skivvies, drinking imported beer and with their ponytails dangling, and don’t think about the harm they’re causing the community,” he said.
“It’s an embarrassment in the Dubbo community and it’s caused anger in the community.
“They don’t need smart arses making these sorts of statements. I’m urging the Dubbo community to boycott Virgin Blue until they apologise,” he added.
Dubbo mayor Allan Smith also called on the airline to apologise.
“It’s inappropriate to bag one of NSW’s and Australia’s best inland tourist destinations,” Mr Smith said.
Virgin Blue was forced to eat humble pie and apologise.
“We didn’t mean to cause offence to Dubbo or the people of Dubbo,” spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said.
“It was intended to be tongue in cheek. We certainly didn’t intend to cause offence and we’re very sorry.”
Graham Muldoon
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025