Schoolchildren have learned the importance that people “who ride around on rental bikes” have on Bermuda’s economy.Eight to ten-year-olds at Harrington Sound Primary have gone from knowing nothing to everything about tourism in just a couple of months.Their new-found knowledge is thanks to P4 teacher Firkte Ming’s tourism project to promote the importance of the tourism industry.The 19 children put their computer skills to the test by creating their own promotional brochures on Bermuda.They then hit the streets to interview tourists and quiz them on their feelings about Bermuda. This was the first time most of the youngsters had ever uttered a word to a tourist.The project also saw the youngsters making two-minute commercials to promote the Island which now look set to be shown on TV.Tourism Minister Patrice Minors was so impressed during a visit to the school that she walked away with a couple of the videos saying she would do her best to get them on CITV.Ms Ming said: “This was their first introduction to tourism, they knew nothing about tourism and many of them didn’t know what to expect.“They had seen our visitors riding around on rental bikes, but they had never spoken to them and they certainly didn’t know their importance and value to Bermuda.“They now have a great understanding about tourism and what it means to us. They know we are all responsible for helping tourists come back again and again.“They are true ambassadors for Bermuda.”The first part of the project was to create Bermuda brochures using words, pictures and maps. These detailed everything there is to do in Bermuda including the places to stay and visit.The children then had to undertake a homework assignment to go out and introduce themselves to tourists, then ask them a series of questions. They asked why people had come to Bermuda, what they liked/disliked about the Island and whether they would come back.The children, accompanied by their parents, headed to tourist hot spots such as King’s Square in St George, Dockyard and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.They then displayed their survey findings in a series of graphs and charts. Most tourists said they had opted for Bermuda because of the beaches, weather, friendly people and its proximity to the States. They all said they would return again.However, the children discovered most tourists would like to see more live entertainment. They were also surprised tourists didn’t mention Bermuda’s spiralling gun crime, with most of them saying they thought Bermuda was safe.Ms Ming said: “This was the first time many of them had ever spoken to a tourist.“They explained who they were and that they were doing a survey. The tourists loved the interaction with students and were very happy to respond to questions.”Their hardest challenge was to use video equipment to make a two-minute commercial to advertise all that is good about Bermuda. Most of the children focused on Bermuda’s unique selling points such as pink-sand beaches, pink and blue buses, codfish breakfasts and the white rooftops.Some of the children pretended they were newsreaders and read a script, while others used pictures and video footage of tourist attractions and even added background music.Ms Ming said: “The commercials were made to an excellent standard, every single one was different. We’re really hoping some of the commercials will get on TV.”The school tourism project also saw the excited youngsters being given a guided tour of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel.They were said to “love every minute” as Kellianne Smith, human resources director, gave them a behind-the-scenes tour of the hotel’s kitchen and suites.Ms Ming said many of the pupils had been inspired to go into the hospitality industry, with several of them taking an interest in becoming chefs.Ms Ming said she had chosen tourism as the class’s third-quarter module from March to May as she wanted the children to “get out the classroom and get real life experience.”She said: “Tourism is part of the curriculum. We always talk about Bermuda, but I wanted to link tourism to international business to show them the importance on our economy.”Ms Minors congratulated the Harrington Sound Primary School students in the House of Assembly and thanked Ms Ming for “igniting the spark with our young children about Bermuda tourism.”She said: “I was so in awe with the tourism promotional project undertaken by the Harrington Sound P4 students that I thought it deserved wider recognition. Their level of detail, interest and focus was incredibly impressive. So in that regard, we will be profiling the teacher and the students on a special programme on CITV, where the public can tune in to find out just how this project came to fruition.“I believe it is important to support education pursuits such as these which look to teach our children about the value of an industry that is critical to Bermuda’s overall success. These students could be our next generation of hotel managers or owners.”