Mexico hopes to attract tourists with naked model

Mexico’s government guardians of history didn’t mind the fact that a seemingly naked soap opera star was promoting the glories of Hidalgo state.

But they say they were miffed that Iran Castillo’s curves drew eyes away from a famed aqueduct and convent — and convinced state officials to pull the more provocative of the ads. The ads showed tourism attractions such as the Atlantes monoliths, a cathedral and an aqueduct overlaid on Castillo’s apparently naked form — along with the slogan, ‘Hidalgo gets under your skin.’

The campaign created a sensation in the Mexican press even before it ran. Officials from the National Institute of Anthropology and History — official overseers of Mexico’s cultural heritage — complained that state officials failed to get permits to show Castillo with the monuments and suggested the ads violated the sites’ dignity. Chastised state officials launched a toned down version of the campaign this week — with waterfalls, mountains and hot-air balloons projected across a more discreetly posed Castillo, no longer displaying backside and breasts.

Gaudelli MCW, the advertising agency that planned the campaign, said it was happy to change the photos.

dailytimes.com.pk