Young Bermudians interested in a career in tourism have been urged to apply for Government internships which could land them a summer placement in top marketing companies around the world.

Island students who won Department of Tourism internships to companies in London, New York and Baltimore spoke in glowing terms yesterday about their experiences.

And their advice to others is to apply when the internships are advertised again next year.

Bentley College student Laura Farge won a placement to the Communications in Business agency in London, Malika Musson of Kean University went to the Brann Baltimore direct marketing agency in Baltimore, Maryland while Shane Mora, who is studying at the New York Institute of Technology was placed at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in New York. Bermuda College student Tione Lodge was at the Tourism Department's sales office in New York, and Shiona Turini of Hampton University was at Tourism's New York public relations company Lou Hammond and Associates.

Tourism Minister David Allen held a lunch attended by three of the students at Waterloo House, Hamilton, yesterday to celebrate their placements.

He described the students as the ''bright, up and coming talent of the tourism industry'' and said their placements at such prestigious agencies would give them a major career boost.

''These agencies are real high-fliers and to put this in their resumes gives them a real leg-up,'' he said.

Ms Farge said: ''It was a great opportunity and thoroughly sparked my interest in tourism and hospitality, and I am really thinking of that as a career. It was a really great opportunity to apply what I was studying to the industry.

''I would urge all young people to look out for the adverts for these in the paper for an opportunity like this because they are out there and they should take them up.''

Ms Lodge described her time in New York as an ''awesome experience'' which ''really opened my eyes'' to the work of the department.

Mr. Mora said his experience had convinced him he would like a career in tourism.

A major challenge for Bermuda tourism, he found, was ensuring potential travellers knew the Island was different from its Caribbean competitors.