Rhode Island tourism video pulled due to inclusion of Iceland footage

PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 30 (UPI) -- The company behind a video promoting Rhode Island tourism said an "honest mistake" led to the inclusion of footage filmed far from the state -- in Iceland.

The Rhode Island Commerce Corp. commissioned a video from advertising firm IndieWhip to promote tourism to the state, but the video was quickly pulled from its official website when careful viewers noticed it included footage filmed in Reykjavik, Iceland.

"Imagine a place that feels like home, but holds enough uniqueness that you are never bored," the video's narrator says as a skateboarder rolls past the Harpa concert hall in the Icelandic capital.

The video was pulled from several sources, but remained Wednesday on Gov. Gina Raimondo's Twitter account.

Betsy Wall, the chief marketing officer for the Rhode Island Commerce Corp., said it was an "honest mistake."

"As the Commerce Corporation put this presentation video together, explicit instructions were given to the local firm that helped with editing to only use Rhode Island footage," Wall told the Providence Journal. "A mistake was made."

IndieWhip said in a statement that the offending footage did have ties to Rhode Island.

"The footage in question is of a Rhode Island skateboarder, filmed by a Rhode Islander skateboarder," the statement said.

The advertising firm, which was paid $20,000 for the video, said it will fix the ad for no additional cost.