Kentucky’s top tourism official has resigned amid controversy over the state’s longtime U.K. PR firm, which has been fired.
Cooper |
The firm, Gosh PR, is based in London and focuses primarily on travel and lifestyle. State officials and media have also criticized the firm’s marketing of Kentucky, which the Lexington Herald-Leader said contained “factual errors and offensive stereotypes.”
In a resignation statement, state tourism commissioner Mike Cooper said Gosh PR performed “excellently for us in the past but acknowledged they “made serious errors” of late. “It was my responsibility to catch those errors, I did not and believe at this time that the best course of action is for me to resign,” he said, quitting effective March 15.
One point of contention was an online article posted by Gosh PR on a website promoting Kentucky tourism describing “Roadkill Bingo,” a game which has drivers count the dead animals along state roads.
State officials scuttled the firm’s $179K-a-year contract this week.
Gosh managing director Drusila Bryan has apologized for the roadkill article. “Our focus was always on promoting Kentucky to the UK market,” she said.
Cooper accepted event tickets and meals, among other gifts from Gosh PR, during an unauthorized trip to London last year, the Herald-Leader previously reported.