The Wisconsin Tourism Federation has changed its name, after realising its acronym WTF had become crude internet slang.

The body charged with attracting more visitors to the midwestern state will now be known as the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin (TFW), reports the Daily Telegraph.

It was apparently unaware of the cyber age meaning of WTF until its acronym featured on a blog that compiles unfortunate corporate logos earlier this year.

Commenters wondered whether an expression of foul-mouthed astonishment was the best way of boosting tourism to a state that would not be an obvious choice for most holidaymakers.

The federation, a coalition of local trade bodies, has now amended its website to reflect the more anodyne name, which has been changed for the first time since it was founded in 1979.

But the makeover is only partial. Its website is still listed on Google as the Wisconsin Tourism Federation, and the first button beneath the logo is titled "About WTF".

The federation, which was not available for comment, is not the first organisation to change its logo to avoid public derision.

In Britain last year, the Office of Government Commerce withdrew its new £14,000 logo, after realising that it resembled a risqué image when turned on its side.