Monitor Group contributed to the Emerald Isle's resurgent tourism industry.

But he warned against seeing the Boston-based consultants as a panacea for all that all that ails the industry here. "There's no question Monitor helped,'' Noel Toolan said from Dublin. "And I would highly recommend them to Bermuda.

They helped us, at the start of the journey, to plot a way forward and to pack our bags with all the right tools.'' But much of the basic industry research and dialogue had already been initiated by the time Monitor arrived on the scene, he said. "About two years ago we took a step back and looked at the industry as a whole, on a macro-economic level. We asked Monitor to come in at the beginning of the process. "(Monitor) helped us to put things in perspective. They were instrumental in helping us to focus on what and where we wanted to go with the industry.'' A private sector initiative spearheaded by the Bank of Bermuda has recently been trying to raise interest contracting Monitor services. Government has pledged to match dollar to dollar any money raised. But for all Monitor's advice and objectivity said Mr. Toolan, it ultimately will be up to Bermudians to foster and maintain dialogue, to put aside differences, to carry the project through to completion. Today there are 4.2-million good reasons why Irish eyes are smiling -- that's how many visitors landed upon the shores of the Emerald Isle last year. Meanwhile visits from Bermuda's principal target -- the American traveller -- increased a phenomenal 31 percent; US visitors now comprise Ireland's second largest market. Revenue from inbound travel as a result has grown at an envious 15 percent, far outstripping all European competitors. The success comes despite political and religious tension in the North and the perception Ireland presents a two-nation destination. Key to surmounting those obstacles was the building of Tourism Brand Ireland, a partnership bridging Government tourism agencies from both sides of the border and embracing all players in the High praise for Monitor Tourism Brand Ireland says Mr. Toolan, represents a culmination of Ireland's phased approach to restructuring its industry and the final result is that fragmented and dual marketing efforts of the past have fallen by the way.

Ireland's diversity is now sold with a united voice.

"What we've done is come out with a marketing brand, just as you'd sell a product like a bottle of Coca-Cola. No one else to my knowledge has done that in terms of tourism,'' said Mr. Toolan.

And for his struggling Bermudian compatriots Mr. Toolan adds a few words of hard-earned advice: "There's a great danger when the product under-performs the image. You need to look at it from the customer's point of view; that was the biggest lesson we learned.'' Monitor -- however great their talents -- can only bring the process so far.

"The rest,'' he says, "is up to you.''