Teacher Nelsalene Lespere was in the grocery store when she got the phone call telling her that her voice was to be transported into millions of homes across North America.Mrs Lespere said she was “shocked and excited” to be told she had beaten off competition from about 75 people to be named the ‘Voice of Bermuda’.The Bermuda Department of Tourism hopes the “distinctly Bermudian voice” of Mrs Lespere will attract tourists to the Island through its new TV commercials.Tourism Minister Patrice Minors yesterday announced that Mrs Lespere was the voice behind three new TV adverts promoting the Island’s beaches, golf courses and spas.From today the new TV adverts will be shown in the key North American markets of Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York, as well as locally on cable TV.The adverts can also be viewed on Facebook, Your Tube and the Department of Tourism’s website.It is the first voice-over work Mrs Lespere, who is a teacher at Paget Primary School, has done but she’s hoping it is the start of things to come.It is her dream to be the voice of a character on a children’s cartoon, so she is pleased she took “the leap of faith”.Mrs Lespere said: “I got the call about two weeks ago, I remember I was in the grocery store. I was shocked and excited at the same time. Now that it’s sunk it, I’m feeling pretty good about it all. My voice is going to be heard in people’s homes, which I hope will be a good thing. I look forward to making all my fellow Bermudians proud and bringing more tourists to the Island.”Mrs Lespere said she was “very nervous” at the auditions but she was encouraged to give it a go by her husband Gerard Lespere.She said: “If it wasn’t for my husband I wouldn’t have auditioned. He sent me the advert as he knew my ultimate dream.“My dream of wanting to be a cartoon voice-over has just sort of developed over the last six or seven years.“I’ve never done anything like this before but now I’m going for it.”Ms Minors presented Mrs Lespere with a cheque for $1,000 for her three TV recordings at a press conference yesterday. Mrs Lespere was joined at the press conference by her husband and three-year-old daughter, Naarah.A one-day casting call for the ‘Voice of Bermuda’ was held earlier this month; auditions took place at Just Platinum Studios. The hopefuls were asked to read the same piece of material in two different ways; as a script and as an announcer.Up to 200 people called or visited the studio on July 4 to try to secure an appointment and a total of 74 people auditioned that day.To avoid disappointment, an additional 30 people were allowed to audition the following week and they will be considered for future voice-over work.Ms Minors said they were pleased they had found that “uniquely special voice” for the North American promotional campaign.She said: “We narrowed it down to one individual … it was a unanimous decision, and we are absolutely delighted with our choice of Mrs Lespere.“Her distinctly Bermudian voice is crisp and fun and we believe it will be a part of the driving force of bringing visitors to the Island.”Ms Minors added that it was the goal of the Ministry of Tourism to “inject that uniquely Bermuda flavour back into our tourism product”.She said: “Things that this Island is recognised for our culture, our pristine beauty, our hospitable and friendly nature, our music and entertainment, our sporting traditions and our cuisine which can be found nowhere else in the world are featuring heavily in our local and overseas promotions.“We believe special nuances like these will distinguish us from our competition.”