Bermuda's latest promotional campaign is attracting record enquiries from potential tourists in the United States, Tourism Minister Renee Webb said yesterday.

The companion flies free promotion generated more than 140 calls a day on February 24 and enquiries were consistently at that level.

This number of calls had only been achieved during one day last year, and the number of calls since the new branding campaign was launched at the end of January had quadrupled, she said the budget debate on tourism in the House of Assembly.

The $400 air credit launched after September 11, 2001 for a minimum stay of five nights had generated 5,130 visitors.

The free flight promotion from Delta out of Boston, which allows two people to fly for free, has attracted 1600 visitors and the promotion continues into April.

While the number of bed nights overall had decreased since 1998, the average number of night visitors spend on the Island was going up.

The November 2002 exit study showed 87 percent of people said they would definitely or probably return to Bermuda, the top reason being the friendliness of the people.

An advertising tracking study was launched last December and it will be repeated in April to find out how well the new brand campaign launched in January had fared.

Bermuda was adopting an e-tourism strategy to take full advantage of the internet.

With the possibility of war with Iraq, the entire Island had to pull together to promote tourism.

"All of us are responsible for tourism. We must speak with one voice, We must work harder and smarter if we are going to take tourism on an upward spiral," she said.

"There must be a clear understanding of the importance of tourism to Bermuda and our economy. If we want to be in the tourist business and stay in it, we all must embrace it."

The public-private sector Bermuda Alliance for Tourism (BAT) had developed a strategy to attract high yield visitors and expand the shoulder season.

A new office had been set up in Washington DC to tap into the affluent market there.

The new brand campaign devised by ArnoldWorldwide had included 30 second television adverts during prime time shows such as the Today show, Dateline and 60 Minutes, with cable coverage for niche markets such as golf, travel, history, and romance.

A programme to re-energise awareness of tourism on Island will be launched in March to ensure everyone knows the importance of the industry. To attract more African American visitors, Government had teamed up with Black Entertainment Television to promote the Jazz Festival, attracting 1100 visitors. And the Neo-Soul Festival over Cup Match had lured a further 700 people to Bermuda.

The Hotel Concessions Act had generated $300 million of hotel investment to help attract high yield visitors.

And the cruise ship policy was also targeted towards lines which attracted wealthier passengers. This year all passengers will get an in-cabin video to view before they reach the Island.

The hotel bed inventory peaked at 12,000, when the industry employed 5,000 people. In the last quarter of 2002, there were 8,809 beds and 2,800 people employed in the sector. It was anticipated that by 2005, the number of beds will go up by 2,366 to 11,175.

Condominiums, timeshare and leaseback arrangements for hotels were increasingly popular and Government anticipates these will continue to play a key role in the financing of hotel developments.

"Government is committed to balancing the need to encourage development to replace lost inventory and to broaden the accommodation base on offer while ensuring that any new forms of development have long-term benefits for the people of Bermuda," she said.

"Within the ministry we have established a series of objectives for 2003/04 that will sustain the value of tourism to Bermuda by actively pursuing a mixture of markets, products and services, while distinguishing the Island as a preferred destination from its competitors," she added.

This included targeting wealthy travellers; going after convention business; increasing awareness of Bermuda among African Americans; energising locals about tourism; developing an e-tourism strategy; and seeking high yield cruise passengers.

The tourism budget increased by about one percent this year to $35,920,000, with the additional cash for salaries due to wage increases and increased insurance costs.