Sicily tourism campaign sparks controversy over unoriginal logo and high cost

The Sicilian Regional Council's Tourism Department launched a new communication campaign titled "Sicilia. Your happy island" on June 17, 2020, aimed at promoting tourism to the island. The campaign features a multicolored logo spelling "SICILIA" with each letter in a different color (yellow, blue, orange, green, light blue, red) meant to symbolize the territory's sun, sea, citrus, trees, sky, and volcanic magma. However, the campaign has been widely criticized on social media for its unoriginal design, which resembles the logos of Expo Milano 2015 and the Aruba tourism campaign (which uses "One happy island"). Critics also note that the symbolic elements (sun, sky, trees) are not unique to Sicily. The campaign was created by Catania-based agency World 2.0 Srl through direct assignment at a cost of nearly €30,000, without a public competition. Tourism Assessor Manlio Messina defended the campaign, stating it is not a permanent logo but a temporary measure linked to a €75 million regional tourism fund, and that a proper logo competition will be held later. The campaign includes two videos featuring the logo and three mini-spots on culture, nature, and gastronomy, which were quickly removed from regional channels after backlash. The controversy highlights tensions between quick pandemic-era promotion and expectations for authentic, original representation of Sicily's cultural identity.