A new advertising campaign is due to be launched -- to convince Bermudians about the importance of tourism.

Advertising agency RB&K is working with the Visitor Industry Partnership (VIP) on the campaign.

It could be launched in March and will aim to ensure that visitors have a memorable vacation and show Bermudians how important the industry is to the Island.

The planned advertising campaign was revealed yesterday during a meeting of the VIP which is looking at a series of initiatives to raise tourism's profile.

New marketing and fundraising ideas are being examined along with putting out a newspaper supplement for primary children on tourism as part of the Department of Education's `education month' in February.

THe VIP is also drawing up an "information card'' which contains important facts about the tourism industry and which will be distributed throughout the Island.

In a bid to get people to remember the facts, a competition could be organised with questions based on information on the credit-card sized cards.

Yesterday's meeting was chaired by tourism director Gary Phillips as E.

Michael Jones was ill.

Mr. Phillips said RB&K's suggestions for an ad campaign included a need to raise the industry's profile, how it brought different nationalities to Bermuda, how workers could meet interesting people and how working in the industry could lead to a career outside Bermuda.

It would also aim to promote the industry as a whole -- as well as success stories to curb negative images and would be targeted at everyone involved in tourism from taxi drivers to hotel workers.

IDEAS -- Gary Phillips