Lithuanian tourism brouhaha after photos used from elsewhere

VILNIUS, Lithuania – The head of Lithuania’s state tourism agency has resigned after admitting her agency promoted the Baltic country in an international social media campaign by using landscape photos taken in other countries.

Jurgita Kazlauskiene resigned Friday after local media had blasted the State Tourism Department for its campaign “Real is Beautiful” for using stock images from Nordic and eastern European countries.

Kazlauskiene said she stepped down so “people who work here don’t become objects of ongoing attacks.”

When the 140,000-euro ($149,000) campaign was launched in October, it sparked dozens of ironic entries on social media.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis posted a tongue-in-the-cheek Facebook comment on Thursday. Next to a photo of the European Union’s headquarters in Brussels he wrote “we are moving government to this building tomorrow. Real is beautiful.”