London landmarks go unrecognised

Is this the South Bank or Australia?

People around the country cannot recognise famous locations in London, a survey has found.

The organisation Visit London showed photographs of areas such as Covent Garden, Regent Street and Brick Lane.

In the study 55% of people mistook Covent Garden for Italy and 25% thought the Thames in Richmond, south-west London, was the Amazon.

The obscure images were taken to launch September's Totally London Festivals, which promotes the city's free events.

But the survey also found that Londoners were generally no better at spotting landmarks than people who live in the regions.

TOTALLY LONDON FESTIVALS Totally Covent Garden - All September Summer in the Square until 26 September The Tour of Britain - 5 September Regent Street Festival - 5 September City Showcase - 5 to 10 September The Great River Race - 11 September Brick Lane Festival - 12 September Greenwich Car Free Day - 19 September Mayor's Thames Festival - 18 to 19 September Open House Weekend - 18 to 19 September Shoreditch Carnival - 19 September Can you guess where the photos are from?

Some 22% of interviewees thought the South Bank was Australia and 59% that Brick Lane, in the east of the city, was in Asia.

Totally London Festivals Month features "10 free eclectic festivals which represent a fusion of world cultures, entertainment and cuisine."

David Campbell, Chief Executive, Visit London, commented, "We wanted to produce a series of evocative shots of London to get people to consider their capital city for an exciting weekend break next month.

"No less than 500 hours of totally free entertainment is being planned for September so it's the perfect way to extend your holidays and hang on to the summer fun.

"From high adrenalin boating action on the Thames to urban street art and performance in Shoreditch, the festivals are truly intended to have something for everyone."

The campaign is officially launched on Thursday, when people will be able to download a free Totally London Festivals Guide from the Visit London website.