Minister will be on song for baseball game
Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert will next month step onto the historic field at Boston’s Fenway Park in an effort to promote the Island with song.Mr Furbert has been invited to sing the US national anthem at the home of the Boston Red Sox during its annual Bermuda Night.He will be joined by Bermudian gospel artist Tricray Astwood.The announcement was one of several made during a Bermuda Department of Tourism industry night this week.The Tourism Minister also told stakeholders at the event, held at Fairmont Hamilton Princess, about a video competition and collaborations with Bermudian artists and athletes.He said: “In order to succeed, we must take advantage of new ideas and initiatives. One of the things I feel most strongly about is utilising the greatest asset we have in Bermuda the Bermudian people themselves.”Noting the popularity of a YouTube video featuring people cliff diving in Bermuda, Mr Furbert announced a quarterly video competition with residents asked to create videos showing the positive aspects of the Island and its people.“Submissions of the competition will be posted on Bermuda Tourism’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel,” Mr Furbert said.“A committee will select the best video each quarter, and the winner will receive $5,000 as well as public recognition for a job well done.”According to contest criteria, the videos should be produced by amateur videographers, be able to inspire visitors and provoke positive emotions, be informative and must not contain obscene content.Mr Furbert also announced that the Tourism Department is undertaking an initiative to help sponsor Bermudian musicians Collie Buddz and Mr Astwood as they advertise the Island.“Collie Buddz has even agreed to either create a new song or adapt one of his existing songs with Bermuda in the title,” Mr Furbert said.“We also plan to work with Bermuda’s champion Teresa Perozzi, WBA Super Middleweight title holder, to see how we can use her talent to promote Bermuda as a tourism destination.”The Department will also help sponsor a show called Bermuda Magic: The Renaissance.The show, which will be held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess six nights a week from May 15 to November 1, will feature Bermudian performers.“The entertainment will showcase the best of Bermuda’s calypso, soul, country and gospel all fused into a glorious potpourri of song, humour, fiery limbo, magical moongates, impressive musicianship and show stopping vocal performances,” Mr Furbert said.“In addition, the show will provide employment for 20 Bermudian cast, crew and ancillary personnel.”He also celebrated the success of Tourism’s recent Spring Break initiative, which brought around 250 overseas students to the Island a figure he hopes to improve on next year. The initative not only attracted students from gateway cities, but also saw students travel from markets such as Louisiana, Illinois and elsewhere throughout the United States, he said.“Most importantly, it exposed the Island to a younger demographic that enthusiastically embraced the Island and shared their photos and videos on their social networking sites, building a base of visitors for our future.”Mr Furbert called for everyone to serve as ambassadors for Bermuda to provide both a positive image and world-class experience for visitors.“It is a time to look forward,” Mr Furbert said. “Negativity must be a thing of the past, we have to become the change, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”