side of a holiday here after major research by the Tourism Department.

But marketing director Mr. Peter Smith stressed Tourism was not throwing out the Bermuda Shorts campaign, which it felt was "very much on target''.

"Bermuda Shorts will not change dramatically but evolve into advertisements that are quite distinct from the others but clearly related,'' he said yesterday.

Shooting began yesterday for the new series of advertisements which will be seen in North America on television and in print from next spring. Tourism is expected to fork out about $1 million for producing the four new ads. It has a $10 million media advertising budget.

Mr. Smith said there were several reasons for the "subtle'' changes, including the fact many other island holiday destinations were starting to run ads closely resembling the Bermuda Shorts campaign, which plays on the uniqueness, beauty and cultural side of Bermuda rather than sun `n' sand.

Major studies had also been carried out over the past year to gauge the reactions to the previous ads of first-time visitors, African Americans and locals, Mr. Smith noted.

He was reluctant to reveal too much about the content and style of the four new ads.

But he said: "There will be an effort to show visitors having fun in Bermuda.

The previous set of ads essentially showed life in Bermuda as experienced by Bermudians. We will now attempt to show more of visitors having fun and enjoying Bermuda. It will be an evolution of the previous campaign as opposed to bold changes.'' Another reason for the change in the current advertising is that visitors in surveys have said there isn't enough activity on the Island.

Mr. Smith said it was a challenge to strike a good balance between "having fun and the uniqueness, attractiveness, civility, politeness and gentility of Bermuda''.

Mr. Marcus Stevens has been hired from overseas to direct the new ads. He will work with a crew from the US-based company HKM Productions and local production house Panatel.

Mr. Stevens has directed successful ad campaigns for IBM, VISA and the Chase Manhattan Bank.

He will be filming at locations throughout the Island until Friday.

All the casting for the models and actors to be used in the ads was done in Bermuda. "The people who will be seen in the ads are Bermudians,'' Mr. Smith said.