Accidental tourists get royal treatment; Sydney gets the BBC flush

An English couple who spent an unexpected holiday in Sydney have been given the keys to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Emma Nunn and Raoul Sebastian intended to vacation in Sydney, Australia this summer. But after a ticket mixup on the Internet, they mistakenly boarded a plane to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Thursday night, Mayor John Morgan gave them the keys to the municipality during a rock concert on Sydney's waterfront.

The pair say they've been overwhelmed by kindness during their stay.

And, they may be back again on purpose. Tourism Cape Breton is offering to fly them to the island again next summer.

The mix-up has drawn international media attention. However, some of the publicity has been far from flattering. A report on the esteemed BBC earlier this week portrayed Sydney, Nova Scotia, this way:

"Sydney, Australia...the jewel of New South Wales, with its celebrated tourist attractions, including the renowned venue, the Opera House...In Sydney, Canada, they get their kicks from the local cinema...Sydney, Australia boasts a stunning bridge over a picturesque harbour...in Sydney, Canada, the waterfront boasts several well-tended litter bins."

The report angered Kathleen Brown of Scotland. her husband is a Cape Bretoner, and she's outraged by the portrayal of the island.

"When you think of the number that this program was relayed to...the number of people...what picture are they going to get of Sydney?" she said. "And perhaps if someone were suggesting well, let's have a look at this place...I imagine the reaction would be 'No thank you, did you hear what the BBC had to say about it?' "

The head of Tourism Cape Breton calls the report 'sensationalism at its worst'. Janet Connor plans to contact the BBC to set the record straight. But Conner says most of the media coverage she's seen has been positive, and she's confident when the two Londoners arrive home Friday night, they too will have good things to say to British reporters about Cape Breton's hospitality.