A tourism board has apologised for a rebranding campaign that sexualised a city’s name.

The campaign has been described by users on social media as ‘misogynistic’, ‘juvenile’ and ‘racist’.

And some users have called for the head of the tourism organisation for Regina, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, to resign.

Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina, apologised on social media for the campaign, saying the rebrand crossed the line and created ‘negative impact’.

But some said his apology wasn’t enough and he should quit.

The campaign played on the city’s double-entre name, with taglines including ‘show us your Regina’ and ‘the city that rhymes with fun’.

Experience Regina said it was trying to take ownership of a name that has become the butt of jokes for some for years.

However, residents took to social media to complain, with one writing on Facebook: “Show us your Regina. Really. That’s the best we can do, female anatomy humour to promote our city.”

Others called the campaign ‘gross, embarrassing, juvenile, cringe-level branding and misogynisitc’ and some said it was racist as it included a video with a hoop dance, which is sacred in First Nations’ culture.

A tour operator complained on Facebook, saying they were ‘seriously embarrassed’, adding: “How would you care to explain how I explain the ‘joke’ to a visiting family tour?”

In a statement posted on social media, Mr Reid said: “I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used.

“Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that we apologize.”

While some people said the found the campaign funny, others have called for Mr Reid to resign.

Regina’s Mayor Sandra Masters has backed Mr Reid, saying on a local radio show that although some of the slogans ‘crossed the line’, the campaign and rebrand was salvageable.

“We rewind back to last Thursday’s launch; I think so much of the brand and the campaign and the underlying vision and strategy behind it are so good,” she said.