The Bermuda International Business Association (BIBA) is still trying to come to grips with its latest survey that highlighted that Bermuda still has some way to go regarding how black Bermudians in particular perceive their involvement with international business.

Promoting International Business Week yesterday was BIBA's executive director Pat Phillip-Bassett, who was speaking to the Hamilton Lions Club.

But she expressed satisfaction that significantly more hospitality workers saw the connection between what they did for a living and the international business industry.

And she drew a correlation between the steady increase in business visitors in the last five years and an increase in international business here.

She said, "From 1992-1997, the total number of visitors coming to Bermuda for business purposes has increased by almost 50 percent, from 30,300 to 61,039.

"In 1997, over 4,000 of those visitors specifically stated they had come for international business, which also represents a similar increase (of) 49.6 percent since 1992.

"This type of activity also allows us within the international business arena to provide direct support to the re-building process that is taking place in Bermuda's tourism industry.

"We are all aware of the challenges facing the industry as this huge period of transition takes place, and clearly international business can, and should, contribute to the recovery process, as appropriate.'' The BIBA executive underscored the importance of international business to all Bermudians, but lamented the fact that not everyone had been able to identify its specific benefits in their lives.

She highlighted the perception among some groups that jobs created in international business went to non-Bermudians, creating a negative impact on housing and rentals. And black Bermudians remained uncertain about the future impact of the sector's growth on their future careers.

She said BIBA was working to communicate the issues to those in international business and underscore the need to address them, encouraging an even more active and direct relationship with Bermudians for mutual benefit. The local awareness programme of BIBA, she added, aimed to promote a greater understanding of opportunities in the industry and the need for specific education to enable more Bermudians to participate.

BIBA established a baseline survey in 1994, but returned with a follow up survey last year that indicated some generally significant progress in influencing positive perceptions of the industry within the community.

The survey noted that there was some increase in the component businesses that made up the industry, their countries of origin and our competing jurisdictions.

There is more recognition that international business is providing a good mix of jobs, with 51 percent of survey respondents agreeing, as opposed to 40 percent in 1994. And 50 percent (1994: 35 percent) are committed to international business.

There is a recognition of a closer relationship between one's job and international business, with 73 percent of respondents agreeing, up from 66 percent in 1994.

And significantly, 80 percent of those working in tourism felt their jobs were connected with international business, up from 63 percent.

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