Media told to avoid 'Radelaide' and 'City of Churches' to describe Adelaide

South Australia's tourism authorities have requested media refrain from using "Radelaide" and "the City of Churches" to describe Adelaide during the AFL's Gather Round. 

Media covering the event were given the directive in a guide that instead suggested references to wineries, festivals or pristine wilderness areas. 

It's at odds with the feelings of some locals and business operators.

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"I actually embrace it and use it in the tours," Dax Cottam from Radelaide Walking Tours said.

"Radelaide is a term you use if you like the city, so at the end of the tour I hope you're calling it Radelaide as well."

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison has attempted to distance herself from the controversial memo, emphasising the importance of positive conversations about South Australia.

But it follows a series of tourism missteps, including a failed social media campaign featuring singer Sam Smith and an ironically titled TikTok campaign that referred to the state as the "most boring state ever".

All nine AFL matches this week are in South Australia in the second instalment of the league's Gather Round concept.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.