Island descended on the swanky St. Regis Hotel in New York City yesterday to sell Bermuda as an offshore centre.

About 180 people attended the annual Bermuda briefing tour in New York. The contingent was in Miami on Monday and will be in Chicago for a similar sessions today and tomorrow.

Ms Gordon said her appearance along with top government and corporate leaders showed participants Bermuda was serious about bringing business to the island.

"The briefing sessions show there is a partnership between government and international business,'' she said.

Ms Gordon also appeared on the business affiliate of the Cable News Network (CNN) yesterday. She was also interviewed by Bloomberg Business News.

Yesterday morning she opened the New York briefing with a rousing introduction of Bermuda as a "Blue Chip'' offshore to participants.

"When you are an executive on the move in this global economy, it is always nice if you can upgrade your ticket, but it is better to upgrade your destination,'' she said.

Last night members of the group made a dinner presentation about Bermuda as a financial centre in the age of the Internet.

The Bermuda briefing tour is organised by the Bermuda International Business Association (BIBA) and government.

BUSINESS BUC