article: An epic stunt by the Ecuador tourist board saw it fool a group of 40 visitors into thinking they had flown to Costa Rica to enjoy the delights of its famous port town Golfito. But in fact, the group of tourists were exploring the activities on offer in the country's Napo Province, in the Amazon rainforest. The publicity stunt saw the tourists enjoy white water rafting, swimming near waterfalls and hiking, but it seems that Costa Rica was not amused by the ruse. The creative prank was executed by the Ecuadorean airline Tame, Ecuador's Tourism Ministry and Ministry of Transport and Public Works . The unusual video sparked a diplomatic incident, with the Costa Rican government and Ambassador to Ecuador complaining to the authorities and resulting in Ecuador issuing an apology. The creative project was executed by the Ecuadorean airline Tame, Ecuador's Tourism Ministry and Ministry of Transport and Public Works. But the stunt sparked outrage from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, the presidential palace and the Foreign Ministry. As Ecuador residents arrived, not in Costa Rica but another Ecuador airport, Tena, where they were given fake stamps in their passports as they went through a staged passport control. No attention to detail was spared as huge posters were placed over the welcome billboards at the airport. Adverts depicting Imperial beer and 'Esencial Costa Rica,' Costa Rica's national brand,  were displayed in the airport to throw the group off the scent. Even fictitious immigration documents and car licence plates were created to make the group think they were in Golfito, a port town in Costa Rica. On top of all that organisers used mobile phone and GPS blockers to keep passengers from using technology to discover the hoax. The Tame airline staged the prank in a bid to demonstrate that Ecuador should be considered a top tourist destination . A fake passport control was set up, which even gave out fake stamps for passports . The unsuspecting tourists took part in a number of exciting activities, from white water rafting to hiking . The prank was captured by video but following complaints, the tourism organisers in Ecuador took the video down. 'We're unhappy about their use of our country to trick their people into getting to know their own country,' Costa Rican tourism minister Wilhelm von Breymann told The Tico Times. The trip aimed to show citizens that Ecuador can be a great tourist destination, featuring many incredible site like the breathtaking volcanic crater lake, Quilotoa . The prank was captured by video but following complaints, the tourism organisers in Ecuador took the video down . In a note posted on the foreign ministry's website, the government stated:' The Costa Rican government expressed its discomfort at the use of its image in publicity about Ecuadorean tourism. 'The Ambassador Alejandro Solado spoke with the highest Ecuadorian authorities about the display in the publicity video and the South American country will take the post down from the Internet.' The Ecuadorain Ambassador Ricardo Patino then followed up with an apology to Costa Rica and confirmed Ecuador had sent a letter to the government to settle the matter. Although they were previously considering legal action, they have since accepted the apology, La Nación reported. Costa Rican outlet La Nación uploaded it on YouTube where it has been viewed by 60,000 people. At the end of the trip, the organiser tore down an 'Esencial Costa Rica' banner that had been posted at the airport to throw the group off the scent. This revealed the Ecuadorean tourism slogan: 'love life' Tame, the largest airline of Ecuador, was part of the big-scale prank, and helped the tourism group to fool the visitors .
highlights: The stunt was pulled by local tourism groups and an Ecuador airline .
  Fake signs, passport control, posters and adverts were created in the ruse .
  It sparked outrage from Costa Rican officials prompting a formal apology .
  The video was taken down, but was reuploaded by La Nación .
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