Four young Bermudians who hope to make careers in the tourism industry have received a financial boost from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

The four scholarships mean that 40 young Bermudians have now been the beneficiaries of hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships since Royal Caribbean joined forces with the Bermuda Department of Tourism to aid Bermudian tourism students.

Tourism Minister Ewart Brown and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line?s vice president of government relations Michael Ronan presented the scholarships on board the RCCL-owned ship on Monday.

?Over the past several years we have showcased this commitment by pioneering several initiatives aimed at supporting members of our community who wish to embark on careers associated with the hospitality industry,? Dr. Brown said.

He used the David Allen Memorial Scholarship as an example where Government had afforded many young people an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the tourism product.

This year?s recipients of the Royal Caribbean Hospitality Endowment Fund included Ashley Tucker, who was awarded a $15,000 scholarship to attend the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America this autumn.

Davida O?Brien and Tiffany Roberts were each awarded $3,500 scholarships towards Associate Degrees in hospitality management at the Bermuda College, while Kamilah Cannonier also received $3,500 for her pursuit of an Associate?s Degree in Culinary Arts at the College.