in Government's new cruise ship policy.

David Allen -- who is also the publisher and editor for tourism magazine Bermuda Dateline -- said he was concerned that cruise lines would pass this fee onto the passenger.

"This is a very sobering thing,'' he warned, "because we are heaping more costs on the visitor. This is another nail in Bermuda's coffin.'' The policy, disclosed on Monday by Tourism Minister David Dodwell, announced that as of May, 1998, cruise lines would pay $4 per berth, per night during the peak season and $2 in September and October.

Mr. Allen said US travel agents were "dead set against further imposition of any kind of Government fees or taxes'' onto the passenger as it affected the bottom line by putting up the cost.

"This makes it that much more difficult to sell a destination.'' Passengers would now have to pay fees totalling close to $100, said Mr. Allen, and this could have an impact on the market.

Permit under fire continued. "They'll point the finger at Bermuda.'' Mr. Allen said it was important to note that there was a strong perception that Bermuda was pricing itself out of the market place and the latest policy confirmed these perceptions.

He said: "The response in the travel trade overseas will be `there they go again in Bermuda -- pricing themselves out of the market and nickel and diming the visitor to death'.'' Mr. Allen noted that Michael Spinelli, the president of the American Society of Travel Agents which represented some 20,000 travel agents across the US, had recently voiced similar concerns in a Bermuda Dateline article.

"The goal is to get visitors to Bermuda,'' said Mr. Spinelli in the article.

"The higher you make the initial offering, the more it will do to discourage the sale. The higher the taxes, the higher the wall that has to be climbed.'' TOURISM TOU