Cycling security guards will patrol the Court Street area in a bid to make it safer and more appealing to tourists.

Deputy Premier Ewart Brown unveiled the team of two-wheeled ?tourism ambassadors? yesterday. He said it showed Government?s commitment to revitalising the ?back of town? while widening the Bermuda experience for holidaymakers.

The Tourism Minister said he hoped the visitor-friendly team, who will also carry out foot patrols, would complement Police and act as security back-up.

They will work in pairs during the weekly Uptown Culture Fest, which has now been moved from Wednesdays to Thursdays until the end of the summer season.

They will be armed with basic first aid kits, flash-lights and communication devices so they can contact Police about any trouble.

Dr. Brown said their duties would include crowd control, answering questions, giving cultural information, dealing with disorderly conduct and controlling traffic. They will also ensure that ordered taxis arrive to pick visitors up, before patrols leave the area.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Dr. Brown told reporters that Court Street was going to be made ?safer and more secure?, with two teams of two pencilled in for patrols.

He said he would not be surprised if some cruise ship staff had unofficially told passengers not to go to the Court Street area. But he said the extra security would improve confidence.

?People who walk the streets of New York City should never be afraid of any part of Bermuda,? he said, adding that cruise ship officials had been invited to a reception at the Spinning Wheel nightclub tomorrow night to promote Uptown Culture Fest.

Government has already stated that it aims to create an area in Hamilton where visitors can experience a taste of the Island?s deep-rooted history ? in much the same way as New Orleans does with its French Quarter.

The Uptown Culture Fest had directly followed Harbour Nights on Wednesdays. And the aim was to lure visitors from Front Street to Court Street to complete their evening with two hours of buskers, street karaoke and food from Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Officials denied that the night of the Court Street event was switched because of poor turnouts. They said it was doing well and needed a signature night of its own to attract more vendors, rather than following Harbour Nights.

The Deputy Premier yesterday said the security move did not mean Government thought Police numbers in Court Street, where CCTV is now installed, were inadequate.

?It?s not that it?s not enough, it?s just that we want the experience to be more than what the Police can provide.

?They are very busy. I have had meetings with the new Minister (Derrick Burgess at Home Affairs and Public Safety) and he welcomes this change.

?I do not know how Police will be deployed. I have not requested paddy wagons. Hopefully we can do without that and create an environment that?s still secure but not approaching military.?

He said the aim was to help Police and said the cycling guards ? called the Uptown Security Team, sponsored by the Department of Tourism and the Uptown Market Association ? would be responsible for more than just security. ?They will also play the part of ambassadors.?

Dr. Brown said the improved security was nothing to do with the Court Street club shooting in April, in which three people were injured. ?This is something that has been in the works for quite some time,? he added.

Uptown Market Association chairman Elmore Warren said the aim was to get more people to see the area?s thriving nightlife.

?Tourists are coming there during the day and are having no problems,? he said. ?We need to reassure people at night.?

Asked how much the security move would cost, Dr. Brown said ?enough?. He added that his department was splashing out more than $1 million in an attempt to place Court Street firmly on the tourist trail.

The new guards will patrol the area around Court Street between 4 p.m. and midnight each Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Minister yesterday confirmed tourism officials would be meeting cruise ship representatives tomorrow night to talk about Bermuda?s on-shore attractions. He said the 2007 cruise ship planning seminar gave the Island?s tour operators chance to talk with cruise officials about the vacation activities for Bermuda?s visitors.

He urged anyone with a tourism product to sell and who wanted to talk to representatives from Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Princess Cruises to contact the Tourism Department about attending the Fairmont Hamilton Princess meeting from 7 p.m.

Dr. Brown said that he would host cruise officials at a reception at Spinning Wheel night club tomorrow night after the seminar.