The row over stock photos in advertising has taken some new twists as The Royal Gazette has discovered a Bermuda golf course has been used to promote Caribbean golf, while a picture not of the Island (at right) was published to push Bermuda.

Director of Tourism Judith Hall-Bean and Tourism Minister Renee Webb said the latest examples showed how common it was to use stock images in advertising.

And the prestigious National Geographic Traveler magazine, which published an image not of Bermuda in an advert on flights to the Island, admitted yesterday it made a mistake and is looking into how it happened.

There was a row earlier this year when a woman pictured on a beach in Hawaii - although the beach could not be seen in the image - was used in Bermuda's official new advertising campaign.

The controversy was featured on giant American network ABC's 20/20 television's 'Give Me Break' section.

But in the March/April 2002 edition of Travel and Leisure Golf magazine, a photo of Port Royal Golf Course is used in an advertising feature on golf in the Caribbean.

And in the latest edition of National Geographic Traveler, a US Airways advert on its flights to Bermuda features a picture which is clearly not of the Island.

The US Airways' Bermuda advert runs on the page after an official Bermuda Department of Tourism advert.

Yesterday, both Tourism and the US Airways said they did not see or approve of the image, which was selected by the advertising travel section of National Geographic Traveler.

US Airways said it would work to ensure this does not happen again, and Tourism said it showed stock photography was commonplace in advertising.

National Geographic Traveler said yesterday that it made the mistake and was trying to find out how it happened, but added that neither Tourism nor US Airways knew the picture was not of Bermuda.

The magazine's New York manager Chris Flynn told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "It definitely was an error and we are looking into it to find out how it occurred. They (Tourism and US Airways) did not take the pictures, we chose the pictures."

US Airways spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said: "US Airways approved the text for the special advertising section and did not participate in photographic selection.

"It is now water under the bridge and we will work to ensure that something like that doesn't happen in the future."

And Mrs Hall-Bean said: "The Bermuda Department of Tourism was not involved, nor did it see or approve the imagery used in the development of the advertorial which appeared on the second page of a two page advert for Bermuda in the current issue of National Geographic Traveler.

"The advertising travel section at National Geographic Traveler was responsible for the development of the advertorial.

"While we would have preferred Bermuda imagery used in this advert, this again demonstrates the common nature of using stock photography in the advertising industry."

Tourism Minister Renee Webb said of the latest stock photographs: "It is very common practice in the industry, which is what we have been saying all along.

"The natural resource of our country is available to anyone who wants to take a picture. Bermuda is very often used in advertising other destinations.

"What we don't do in Bermuda is take pictures of other people's beaches or country. That's not a practice we do.

"We didn't know (the woman was shot on a beach in Hawaii) until we found out.

"We knew it was a stock photo, but no one knew where the picture was or what the background was.

"A picture of a Hawaiian beach would not be used. Hawaiian beaches do not compare to Bermuda."