shopping and information superhighway surfing, Mr. Tony Harriott, IBL inter-networking manager, revealed yesterday.

The mall, which includes tourism, business and community components, is open to local IBL Internet users and will soon be accessible worldwide, he said.

"This is a chance for people in Bermuda to see how powerful the mall is before we launch it to the world. The Bermuda Mall will be open to the world in just a few weeks,'' said Mr. Harriott.

Tourism and business representatives attended IBL's official opening of the Bermuda Mall yesterday at the company's Par La Ville Road offices.

Internet subscribers can browse through stores and businesses in the world of cyberspace. Instead of conventional buildings the new Bermuda Mall's "stores'' and "offices'' are computer screens filled with information.

Mr. Harriott said these services are all part of the "Bermuda, Inc.'' idea of marketing the Island on the information highway.

And Internet users will soon be able to hunt for apartments and enjoy enhanced interactive shopping on the information superhighway, said Mr. Harriott.

A listing of apartments -- there is already a multiple listing service for real estate -- will allow people looking for apartments to outline what they are looking for and receive a list of what is available,'' he said.