her job as Coordinator of the Visitor's Service Bureau, (VSB), at The Royal Naval Dockyard.

She is often the first person to talk to the cruise ship passengers on King's Wharf who start their Bermuda visit each Tuesday morning.

Upon arrival each week, about 1600 passengers who are aboard the "Horizon'' are extremely anxious to disembark. They make a beeline to the VSB office to seek information and to purchase transportation passes.

The VSB is a service offered by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce situated in Hamilton beside the ferry terminal on Front Street with small branch offices located in St. George's and Dockyard. Until January of this year Mrs. Soares managed the St. George's Branch.

Mrs. Soares has 20 years of professional banking experience with a great mathematical aptitude and the ability to handle stress. This comes in handy when she has hundreds of people who invade her small office requesting bus tickets and island information simultaneously.

Her job requires a lot of patience and the ability to impart knowledge about the Island quickly and succinctly as tourists line up outside her office at peak intervals.

"I play a vital role in tourism with the Chamber of Commerce. Most people think we work for the Department of Tourism. We are front line workers. You could compare us to tellers at the bank who can make or break the client relationship.

"I feel I have a great rapport with the tourists who come here and I love talking to them. I guess you could say I act as a personal tour guide to the tourists,'' she advised.

The questions Mrs. Soares are asked over and over are: What should I do while visiting here? How does the public transportation work with the buses and ferries? Where are the most beautiful beaches and how do I get there? When questioned about tourism recommendations for Dockyard Mrs. Soares said, "Tourist visits to Dockyard are rising and we need faster and more frequent ferries to accommodate our visitors.

"The cruise passengers eat around 6.30 p.m. Many folks have told me they wished the Clock Tower Shops were open at least to 8.30 p.m.

"During the day most of the passengers leave Dockyard to go touring and beaching. They just want to relax and take their time in the evenings and leisurely shopping would be just the thing for a lot of ladies.'' Mrs. Carol West, owner of the Frog and Onion Restaurant, believes Mrs. Soares is doing a splendid job and conveyed this recently to the head office executive director, Ms Cyanne Thomas.

Always chatty and witty, Mrs. Soares shares her good sense of humour around.

She's one of those rare people who spreads her kindness and happiness which makes people radiate toward her.

"I enjoy my job! I love Bermuda and being able to share information to help tourists get the most out of their vacations.

"When folks return to the office and tell me how much they enjoyed someplace I recommended it makes me feel good,'' she shared.