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Richella Heekin and Ben Marlow (Special to AL.com)

Remember the British woman who garnered international attention after mistaking Birmingham, Alabama for Birmingham, England when planning a surprise trip to Las Vegas for her boyfriend's birthday?

Well, soon there will be no confusion.

During their upcoming trip to the United States, Richella Heekin and her boyfriend, Ben Marlow, will get to visit and become properly acquainted with Birmingham, Ala.

"I think it is just a great chance for us to demonstrate to people in Birmingham, England and throughout the UK that Birmingham (Alabama) is a worthy tourist destination in its own right," said Tom Cosby, a retired Birmingham businessman. "Certainly, it was a heart-warming story to find out how this young woman made an honest mistake, a mistake that many other people have made."

When Iron City hosted popular British band Arctic Monkeys in 2013 at least 12 residents of England mistakenly bought tickets to the show, according to the music venue.

Cosby is arranging the couple's trip with the assistance of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau and several of Magic City's popular tourist attractions. Merrill Stewart of Stewart Perry Construction Company is paying for the couple's airfare to Birmingham.

This story began a couple of weeks ago when Heekin and Marlow arrived at the Birmingham, England airport for their flight to Las Vegas, but learned, sadly, that their plane was actually departing from Birmingham, Ala.

Their tickets couldn't be exchanged or refunded.

Virgin Holidays quickly came to the couple's rescue and offered them free airfare and five free nights of accommodations in Las Vegas to make up for the trip they lost.

Cosby said the couple will have an even better time in Magic City than in Sin City.

"It is just an opportunity to display our southern hospitality, for which we are world famous, and point out to the good folks in our namesake city - Birmingham, England - that this is a town well-worth visiting," he said.

The couple's trip is tentatively planned for some time in August. They will fly Virgin Atlantic Airways direct to Las Vegas and later fly direct from Las Vegas to Birmingham, Alabama. Heekin and Marlow will fly back to Sin City to catch a return flight home.

Cosby said he expects the couple to spend two or three nights in Magic City where they will receive free concert tickets to Iron City, free day of ziplining at Red Mountain Park and other yet unplanned activities.

"We want to make sure they get to sample Birmingham's great cuisine," he said. "We are going to pair them with a couple close to their own age and let them explore Lakeview and Avondale."

Heekin told AL.com she is appreciative of Cosby's "generous offer" and is looking forward to visit the South, and the city named after her Birmingham.

Before her "silly mistake," Heekin said she didn't know anything about Birmingham, Ala. besides that it existed. After, though, she decided to do a little research.

"I did Google and happened across one website that drew my attention to Red Mountain Park," Heekin said. "It sounds like both a fun and interesting place to visit."

Despite the outcome, Heekin said she is still surprised by the media attention her mix-up received.

"It was initially just meant to be a silly story when a family friend contacted the local media," she said in an email to AL.com. "It just escalated when there were a huge amount of negative comments on social media. There was a few positive comments, but mainly negative and to be honest, I haven't read very many for that reason.

It was extremely embarrassing that my expensive mistake is known on a global basis, but I have got over it," she added. "Plus, when you get a holiday and a few tweet mentions from Richard Branson, it did make it slightly easier to bear."