Tourists got the chance to meet young Bermudians and sample some Island culture on Thursday when they met a group of 650 summer camp students at Shelly Bay.

And the camp students were able to get an insight into the operation of the tourist industry by getting tours of the Island's hotels.

The goal of the six week At Your Service programme is to bring Bermudian camp children to hotels to talk with tourism industry employees and to get a taste of one of Bermuda's biggest economic drivers.

A festival of more than eight summer camps got together at the end of their six week session, in an effort to bring tourists and Bermudians together.

The students and visitors played chess, danced, swam and ate traditional Bermudian food in an effort to profile Bermudian culture and introduce visiting children and their families to fun and games with Bermudian children. The Bermuda Strollers and Lace made guest appearances.

And fun and games it was for more than 650 Bermudian children from Camps Palmetto, Pontoon, Chameleon, Hibiscus, Kiskade, Bermudez, Girls to Ladies and Boys to Men, and pre-school camps all.

Senior Supervisor and Events Coordinator Dorothy Trott, who developed this year's theme, explained that the children adopt a hotel and also welcome tourists at the airport.

Talks with employees such as restaurateurs, bus and taxi drivers from Grotto Bay, Elbow Beach Hotel, the Hamilton Princess brought both worlds together with buses from the hotels to camp sites for visiting children to see another side of Bermuda.

The camp children held tourist surveys which Ms Trott said got a positive comeback - the overall impression being that visitors enjoyed their stay in Bermuda.

"The surveys ask what hotels visitors look for and who they are, and what made them pick Bermuda," said Ms Bean.

"A lot of kids don't realise how tourism affects our Island with bosses and employees in the industries within tourism," she said.

What did children learn about the hotel business?

Quishawn Parker, seven, said:"People live in them. There are Jacuzzis, pools, and cameras to watch to see if people steal things."

The Flying Chef, Carol Holding Studios, Dean's Bakery, Bee's Knees, Wadson's,The Supermarket, and Little Venice hosted the event with Community Affairs and Sport Minister Dale Butler a guest at the event:

"It's about celebrating and keeping in contact with Bermuda culture with the food like beans and rice, fish cakes and Kasava pie," he said.

"The children are well behaved, it brings all the camps together. Infusing Bermuda culture is the inspiration for this operation, being multicultural is excellent but for the kids they need to know something of themselves first," he said.

Supervisors will present the surveys to Mr. Butler next Friday.