The professional African-American visitors that the Department of Tourism would like to lure to Bermuda could be coming here more frequently if the National Medical Association sets up a Bermuda Chapter.

It's an untapped market but one with great potential, believes the treasurer of Region II and a past president of the National Medical Association, Dr.

Tracy Walton.

He has been coming to Bermuda since 1975 and was instrumental in bringing the group here for a weekend regional Scientific and Business meeting at the Sonesta Beach hotel.

In total there were 47 medical personnel and their spouses and children here recently and those making their first visit to the Island are looking forward to their second.

"There were two things, the friendliness of the people which I think has come through more than anything else, and the beauty of the Island,'' said Dr.

Walton, a retired practising physician but now lecturing at the University of District of Columbia. "They (University) asked me 12 years ago to come teach (a) course because they didn't have anybody to teach (a) course and I now teach six, including computers and radiology. And I'm supposed to be retired!'' Region II of the predominantly black National Medical Association, which covers the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia as well as Washington DC, has some 3,000 members though there are some 25,000 members in all the regions across US.

Dr. Walton considers Bermuda his second home and has made many friends here over the years. He is still amazed at how friendly and warm the locals are.

"Yesterday my wife and I were standing at the bus stop waiting to go to Dockyard and one of my brothers stopped his car and said "hop in I'll take you'','' said Dr. Walton to illustrate his claim.

"We had never seen him before, his name was Winfield Todd. He said "where are you going', "I said Dockyard' and he said `I'm going to Somerset, hop in I'll give you a lift''. This is the thing the rest of my compatriots like about Bermuda, that they do not feel anywhere else. This is what makes people come back and spend money and the Trimingham 13-hour sale on Friday night didn't hurt.'' Most of the physicians here are familiar with Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown, who was an active member of the National Medical Association when he practised in the United States.

"Most of us know Dr. Brown from the time he was a student,'' said Dr. Walton.

"There are ten to 15 Howard University (Medical school) Alumni here and since Bermuda is so close to us we would like to consider establishing a Chapter of the National Medical Association here with our Bermuda colleagues. We think it would be absolutely fantastic for two reasons, obviously it would form an alliance with the National Medical Association, but it would also bring people to the Island because a lot of our physicians belong to other groups.'' Dr. Walton added: "That's one of the things Mr. Murray Brown pointed out, it would market the Island. Everybody belongs to at least ten or 12 other groups.

I came here in 1997 with another group and brought a professional group, about 60 folks, here to the Castle Harbour.

"Sixty percent had never been to Bermuda before and in this case three-fourths of our members have never been here before and they have already asked "when are we coming back?''. They had an excellent experience. I consider this home because I come here so often. I had one passport that had nothing but Bermuda entries and exits on it, so that all I did, coming Back to Bermuda during the whole ten years of my passport.'' Dr. Walton is more than happy to promote Bermuda to other professionals. "To me this is home and I don't have any problem bringing groups here,'' he stated.

"My first choice when people asked where can we go for a meeting was Bermuda.

I'm the meeting planner, the guy who selected the place and put the meeting together.

"I currently have a Bermudian student, Elizabeth Richardson, at the University of District of Columbia and she told me last week "Professor, you're going home and leaving me here''.

"Richard Bean, who used to be one of the Captains at the Princess, I consider him like a brother. He and his wife walked between two of us while we were talking at Trimingham's and I said "Richard, where are you going?''' The National Medical Association, not to be confused with the American Medical Association, was founded 106 years ago in 1895 when "the American Medical Association wouldn't let us in'', said Dr. Walton. He was the president of the NMA during their centennial year.

The meeting at Sonesta was attended by Bermuda Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann, but Dr. Brown was abroad and unable to attend.

"I was told to give Dr. Cann a message, and when I met him I told him a certain lady in Washington said that the silver Honda you sold her when you came back to the Island is still in her garage and she still drives it.

"He just screamed. It was one of his professors at Howard and she still has the car. I said "see how small the world is''. The only reason she didn't come here is because she doesn't fly.'' Dr. Walton has been coming to Bermuda since the 1970s, back in the days when tourism was booming. Twenty-five years later, though, the Island is still as appealing to him as it was then.

"Duke University used to have a post-graduate course here at the Southampton Princess and so we came the first 15 years, every third week in October to that course,'' he explained. "That's when I met Richard Bean and got to know the Island very well. Since then I've come back with other groups. It (Tourism) is declining it's because people assume it is too far away.

"Our Region I, from New Jersey up to Maine, last week went to the Bahamas and people were trying to get us to go to the Bahamas.'' Coming to Bermuda has tax benefits for the American group which is also appealing.

"Bermuda looks like Philadelphia to the Internal Revenue Service,'' he stated. "Therefore the expenses are all deductable, but not so in the Bahamas.

"This makes sense to most people who are in business. You can come to Bermuda, have fun and still write it off.'' Murray Brown, President of Bermuda Marketing and Associates, a marketing consultancy firm, met members of the group while here for their meetings and sees potential in the market. It's potential the Tourism Department has already recognised.

"We're well positioned (geographically),'' said Mr. Brown. "We're right for post-convention tours where 100 or 200 people would participate and that would represent a real market for us. And they're anxious to develop relationships with us even beyond tourism. "The NMA Convention is probably the richest convention of any of the African American Conventions. They are the largest organisation of black doctors in the world. "They have indicated a willingness to expose Bermuda and of course we're very happy for the opportunity to work with them to bring some visitors our way. And the same can be done for other organisations.'' Dr. Walton revealed that the Bahamas and Jamaica have already placed a big emphasis on attracting African-American visitors. "A lot of social organisations and fraternal organisations who are African-American are being bombarded by the Bahamas and Jamaica,'' he said.

"Bermuda has not marketed to them at all. I consider that my job, to market my `home' to the folks.''