Tourism Minister David Allen is to revise Bermuda's marketing campaigns in Canada after the Boycott Bermuda website warned travellers to blackball the Island.

Mr. Allen said a series of key strategy meetings would be held when he returns from Christmas leave next week.

He rang The Royal Gazette from his base on the US west coast to say a new tourism plan aimed at Canadians was about to be formulated.

The campaign was due to start in mid-January.

But Mr. Allen hinted the project could be reformulated and even delayed in the wake of the fallout from the collapsed Rebecca Middleton murder case.

One group has even started the boycott website, urging tourists not to visit Bermuda.

They are angry that nobody was convicted of the 1996 killing of 17-year-old Rebecca, who was raped, tortured and stabbed on Ferry Reach, St. George's.

But Mr. Allen was interviewed on a major Ottawa, Ontario, radio station to tell of Bermuda's horror at Rebecca's murder.

And he said: "I have really been making some attempts to put this in perspective.

"We understand why the Canadians, in particular, are so concerned about this tragedy. We have a genuine sympathy with their feelings.

"But compared to other places, Bermuda is still one of the safest countries in the world to visit. I can remember two visitors losing their lives in murders in the last 10 years.

"That is two too many. They were both horrific incidents. But they were isolated examples of violence.

"I understand the sense of outrage. But you can't blame a whole country. If we did this every time there was a murder in the world, every country would be boycotted.'' The Attorney General's Chambers is preparing an appeal against the decision to free murder accused Justis Smith, who walked free last month.

Co-defendant Kirk Mundy is already serving five years for being an accessory.

Prosecutors failed with a late bid to charge him with the murder.

Mr. Allen added: "I have been trying to tell the Canadian media that we do have a very well-established, British-based justice system.

"There is an appeal forthcoming so I can't say too much about the case.

"But the Department of Tourism does have a marketing team in place, studying what to do to counteract the website.

"Our new media advertising campaign for Canada will be discussed at length next week and we could either delay it or make some adjustments.'' "Some changes are likely. We are taking constant advice on this and we are in constant contact with our public relations people, who have an office in Toronto.

"We're talking to them regularly in conference calls.'' Meanwhile, Acting Immigration Minister Lois Browne Evans has blamed The Royal Gazette for "hurting the country'', as she entered the controversy surrounding a Scottish journalist's work permit.

But the former Opposition Leader said she would not support any campaign against Gazette reporter Raymond Hainey, or any other journalist.

Mrs. Browne Evans, standing in for Paula Cox, spoke out after a letter to the editor from Laverne Furbert, a member of the Immigration Advisory Council.

In the letter, Ms Furbert said she would write to Ms Cox to press for Mr.

Hainey's work permit to be revoked, claiming he took a "perverse pleasure'' from the website's successes.

Mrs. Browne Evans said: "It's obviously not a front page story at this stage and it does hurt the country.

"The Gazette should use its front page for better and more positive stories.

That's what Laverne Furbert is really saying in that letter.'' She claimed The Royal Gazette had made "a mountain out of a molehill'' over the issue, adding: "Foreign journalists are not in a category that is likely to be threatened by Immigration.

"Not many Bermudians apply to become journalists and those who do don't often stay in the job.'' TOURISM TOU