NO RULES BROKEN
Advertising Standards Authority says ‘no grounds for further investigation’ London-based Greek Cypriot lobby group had claimed ITV ads were ‘promoting holidays to the occupied northern part of Cyprus’
A NORTH Cyprus holiday TV commercial seen by millions in the UK has not broken advertising rules, Cyprus Today has been told.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informed this paper that it will not conduct an investigation into the ad, which has featured on ITV 1 in recent weeks, following hundreds of complaints from Greek Cypriots in the UK.
In a statement, a spokesman for the ASA said: “After careful consideration by our Council, we will not be taking any further action in this case. We do not consider that there are grounds for further investigation as we do not consider the advertising rules to have been broken.”
The ASA took until this week to come to a final decision, having first received complaints last month, with the spokesman saying it had received a total of 356 complaints regarding the advert.
The spokesman said the ASA had considered the North Cyprus holiday ad under their rules on “misleading advertising” and “harm and offence”.
He said that complainants had claimed the advert was “misleading” because it “presented ‘North Cyprus’ as a holiday destination when at present North Cyprus is occupied by the Turkish military and is not recognised by the international community”, and because it “omitted to inform viewers about the dangers of holidaying in a location that is volatile and not safe”.
The ASA also confirmed that complaints had been received that the advert was “offensive and distressing to many Greek Cypriots who are still impacted by the 1974 invasion and occupation of North Cyprus by the Turkish military”.
The advert first made headlines after appearing in prime time slots during popular shows such as Emmerdale and Good Morning Britain.
It was originally produced in 2020, and first made available on the official North Cyprus Tourism YouTube channel “visitncy”, featuring various landmarks and tourist attractions in the country, such as Golden Beach in the Karpaz peninsula, Girne Harbour, Othello Castle in Gazimağusa, Bellapais Monastery, and the ancient ruins of Salamis.
Turkish Cypriots living in the UK and British expats in North Cyprus were pleasantly surprised to see the advert feature so prominently on British TV, but a Greek Cypriot lobby group known as the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK was outraged.
In a statement released shortly after the advert was first broadcast in January, the group declared that it was “appalled to see adverts on ITV promoting holidays to the occupied northern part of Cyprus” while also urging people to “make your voice heard” by writing to ITV and the ASA.
However, ITV were unmoved by the complaints, telling Cyprus
Today in a previous statement:
“All ITV advertising is approved pre-transmission by Clearcast, who check to ensure it meets the legal requirements of the Communications Act 2003.
“The Advertising Standards Authority is the established means designated by Ofcom to handle and process all complaints about broadcast and non-broadcast advertising.”
In a separate email responding to a viewer complaint, which was widely shared on social media at the time, ITV’s customer and viewer services department said: “We acknowledge your concerns relating to this advertising.
“We take your comments very seriously and any substantive points that arise. However, you should be aware that this in and of itself does not immediately make the advertising unacceptable for transmission.”
The ASA’s decision on this advert reinforces a British High
Court ruling from 2005, which confirmed the legality of advertising holidays to North Cyprus in the UK. The matter went to court after then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone refused to allow a North Cyprus poster campaign to be run on buses and London Underground stations, claiming that the adverts were likely to “cause widespread or serious offence”.
The decision was challenged by the London-based North Cyprus Tourism Centre, which took the matter to the High Court and won the case.
Mr Justice Newman quashed the ban, saying there had been an “error of law, error of fact and irrationality” on the part of Transport for London.
In his ruling, the judge said that “no offensive product or service was offered by this advertisement, which merely illustrated the cultural and environmental delight of Northern Cyprus” and that it “carried no political message”.