Bamburgh Beach is 'stolen' by Alberta

While it might represent a slap in the face for the panorama of the North American state, back on this side of the Atlantic tourism bosses have been tickled by the inclusion of the Northumberland vista.

Sheelagh Caygill, marketing executive at Northumberland Tourism, said the exposure was testament to the natural beauty of the area and has come at a time when the region is working to continue the holiday industry's recent boom.

She said: "It is quite funny, a landlocked province, presenting an image of itself as an island. But Northumberland Tourism is really thrilled that a picture of beach in the north of England is being used for an Alberta campaign.

"We see it as promoting the beauty of the north of England, which is often neglected.

"I hope that when people in Alberta realize where the beach is, they'll come to visit."

The out-of-place inclusion was spotted by Canadian Peter Bailey, who noticed the picture while he was visiting the promotional website for the province.

The boat enthusiast was determined to pin-point the stretch of water, but following a series of pressing emails he was disappointed to discover the attractive rugged beach-front was more than an eight-hour flight away.

His affection for the scene means he has since become a JournalLive reader.

The Canadian government has denied any attempt to mislead their audience.

Tom Olsen, director of media relations for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said: "There's no attempt to mislead. That picture just fitted the mood and tone of what we were trying to do.

"The children are a symbol of the future. They symbolize that Albertans are a worldly people."

Olga Guthrie, manager of the brand initiative for Alberta's public affairs bureau, said: "This slide represents Albertans' concern for the future of the world.

"There's no attempt to make people think that this is Alberta."

The re-branding was handled for the province by Edmonton PR firm Calder Bateman, who has said they were unable to comment on the work done for clients because of the terms of the government's contract."

Bamburgh, left, and Alberta

COMPARISON

Where Alberta is entirely land-locked, Northumberland boasts arguably some of the most spectacular coastline in the world.

But the Canadian province is not short of stunning scenery itself.

By comparison it is a land of extremes.

At 661,848 sq km, it is more than 130 times bigger than Northumberland, at 5,013 km².

The North American state also has a bigger population at 3.6m, compared to 310,000.

It's size means it has a lower population density at five people per km², compared to 62 per km² in Northumberland.

At highest point Alberta reaches 3,747, the summit of Mount Colombia, in the Rocky Mountains.

The highest you can climb in Northumberland is 815m, up the Cheviots.

Lake Claire in Alberta, at 1346km, would cover more than a third of Northumberland's total area. Our region's biggest lake, is Kielder, which has a surface area of 11km, - although it does contain enough water to provide seven gallons for each person on earth.