Tourism Minister David Allen yesterday unveiled Bermuda's new advertising campaign aimed at luring Americans to the Island.

Glimpses of TV, radio, newspaper and magazine adverts were shown to a handful of Ministers, MPs, Opposition members and tourism officials.

The programme, which begins on Monday, will target the North American market, with the intention of bringing results this summer.

It will run until September and, coordinated with an extensive public relations campaign and direct marketing, will bid to drive up business in the coming months.

The ads, which feature parts of Bermuda life and heritage, with a message that there are things you don't know about the Island, were shown for the first time.

Mr. Allen said because the campaign focuses on specific niche markets, the ads have more than one meaning to show that there is more to Bermuda than beaches, golf and snorkelling.

"This is an aggressive campaign to keep Bermuda from what has happened in the past, that is falling in between the cracks -- it is designed to grab the attention,'' he said.

"We want people to understand the breadth of the programme, our hotel partners have already seen elements of this campaign and it has been seen by a group of potential visitors.'' New ads unveiled The ads focus on golf, forts, diving and longtails. And the audience, which included Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon, Attorney-General Lois Browne Evans and Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott, were given a preview of the various connotations.

In the golf ad, Bermuda is lightheartedly compared to Scotland -- extolling the views, weather and short flight time to the Island, compared to Scotland's longer haul, notorious rain and views of "bogs''.

Images of longtails are accompanied by the message that the birds had "flown six gruelling hours just to mate in Bermuda. Luckily humans can be here in an hour and a half''.

And pictures of the water and beaches carry the line "you spend the first nine months of your life warm, safe and surrounded by water...ready to experience deja vu?''.

In addition to presentations from PR agents Lou Hammond and Associates, and advertising firm J. Walter Thompson, Roger White of VCG2 told of attempts to attract wealthy African Americans.

They are targeting cable TV in areas where those earning $50,000 are found.

Those people, said Mr. White, spend as much money as white Americans earning $80,000 plus.

A specific angle is Cup Match/Emancipation Day in July.

Aggressive: Tourism Minister David Allen shows off one of Tourism's new advertisements.

Graphic file name: ARCHES