Bermuda is a lush, mountainous tropical Island, according to e-mail publication InsideHook — and they have pictures to prove it.

The free weekly e-mail, which bills itself as “the essential city guide e-mail for adventurous and established men”, is sponsoring the “Bermuda Summer Sweepstakes” offering US residents a chance to win $3,000 worth of cash and gift cards to be used toward a vacation in Bermuda.

But the promotion uses an image of what appears to be a lush tropical locale that clearly is not Bermuda.

Bermuda Department of Tourism promised to look into the misrepresentation, but had no comment by press time last night.

Inside Hook is not the only organisation promoting Bermuda as a tropical Island. Fairmont Southampton’s “So Much More Summer” promotion offers visitors a $300 credit at the luxury resort.

“Looking for a tropical island summer vacation with 4-star luxury without the 4-star price tag?” the promotion begins. Officials at the South Shore resort explained that the copy was a mistake and not representative of their marketing strategy when it was pointed out to them on Sunday night. It was edited by yesterday, but the Fairmont website still contains references to Bermuda as tropical.

“On nearly 100 tropical acres dotted with lush bougainvillea and towering coconut palms, the Bermuda resort is the summit of luxury,” boasts Fairmont Southampton in its online introduction.

Later, it extols the resort’s “picturesque backdrops for special gatherings, corporate functions and tropical weddings.”

Bermuda is more accurately described as a sub-tropical, or semi tropical Island.