Surgeon makes tourism ad after Rhode Island’s Iceland flop

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – An oral surgeon has made a Rhode Island tourism ad and paid to air it following a botched rollout of the state’s own tourism campaign.

A tourism video that Rhode Island released in March was mocked for showing footage of a concert hall in Iceland. It was quickly pulled.

Cranston’s Stephen Skoly says he saw the state’s mistake and thought, “We could do a lot better.”

Skoly, who owns a production company, created his own video featuring local footage with the tagline, “Sea Rhode Island.” He says it cost about $575 to make and $3,000 to air.

Skoly says the state wasted money on its tourism campaign. He wants more transparency and oversight.

The state also dropped its poorly received marketing slogan, “Cooler & Warmer.” The state chief marketing officer resigned.