The recent shooting incident at the Swinging Doors club in Court Street will not prevent the area being touted as Bermuda?s newest tourism spot this summer.

It is the intention of Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown to create an area in Hamilton where visitors can experience a taste of the Island?s deep-rooted history much the same way as New Orleans does with its French Quarter. That vision has not been derailed by the shooting of three people at the small club last month.

?The Government is committed to reviving an area with a rich history and heritage and despite recent unfortunate events we will not be deterred,? said Dr. Brown.

The concept is being seen as the most significant event in the forthcoming summer series of tourism events and will directly follow the Harbour Nights events on Wednesday evenings with the aim of enticing visitors from the Front Street event to wander up to Court Street to complete their evening with two hours of busker performances, street karaoke and food from Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Entitled the Uptown Culture Fest, it is being put together by the Uptown Market Association under the guidance of Elmore Warren and will begin in mid-June, said Dr. Brown.

?It will feature the many tastes, sights, and sounds of this culturally rich area. Pegged as the ?after party?, this event will complement the already ever-popular Harbour Nights,? he said. ?With the added security measures that will be taken, it promises to be a pleasant experience for all. The revival initiative serves two critical aims of this Government.

?One, it provides a diversified product offering for our visitors who will have the opportunity to sample the rich culture of our Island and two, it fulfils a key aim of the Social Agenda by transforming the area into a more economically sound one thereby improving the quality of life for the people of Bermuda.?

The Deputy Premier made his remarks at a media call to reveal tourism figures for the first three months of the year.

The statistics show that more air visitors arrived in Bermuda from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world during the opening months of 2006 than during the corresponding months last year, going some way to lessening the impact of a dip in overall visitor numbers compared to the corresponding months in 2005.

The increase in guests from beyond North America was seized upon by Dr. Brown as an encouraging trend, while the marginal dip in overall visitor numbers in the first quarter of 2006 has been explained away as the result of a later than normal Easter holiday negatively skewing the picture.

Because Easter fell in April its effect in boosting tourism numbers was missing this year unlike in 2005, said Dr. Brown, who went further to reassure that this was the case by revealing he had peeked at the preliminary figures for April and found that last month?s air visitor figures are up 12 percent year-on-year.

?We are particularly pleased with the increase out of the UK as we endeavour to grow the arrivals contribution out of European gateways,? he said, noting that the increased seat capacity now offered by British Airways? expanded daily London to Bermuda service had helped boost air arrivals.

The impact of the new JetBlue Airways low cost service, which started on May 4, will not be seen until the next set of figures later in the year, however the special $49 TNT charter flights had brought more than 5,000 visitors in 11 weeks.

Dr. Brown acknowledged the decision to offer the subsidised tickets in response to ?sluggish market conditions? was made quickly and without the preferred level of consultation with all tourism partners.

?We moved quickly to consummate that deal and in doing so we could not cross all the ?T?s and dot all the ?I?s,? he explained. ?But what it proved is that Bermuda can benefit when we get things done even if we are not perfect in the pursuit.?

He also said that, for the first time in 20 years, the Fairmont Hotels in Bermuda were projecting more than 90 percent occupancy between May and July.

And Dr. Brown spoke of his recent trip to Dubai where he attended the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference and stayed at the Burj Al Arab, ?the world?s only seven star hotel?.

?This property has taken everything that is excellent from every facility around the world and combined it all to create the sublime,? said Dr. Brown.

He illustrated the point by recounting an incident at the hotel when he had decided to go out for breakfast but before he had left the hotel a member of staff in the lobby addressed him by name and asked if he was sure he did not want his room serviced that morning, explaining that he had left his ?no service? light on outside his room.

?What makes Dubai special is the service. Truly Dubai stands as a testament to the adage that ?if you believe it, you can conceive it?.?

He urged Bermuda to step up and show it can give the same outstanding service, adding: ?I?ve just returned from a place that could be referred to as the ?mountain top? and I have seen what is possible, we can stand for nothing less.?

Giving the youth of Bermuda a feeling for what is needed is the thinking behind National Youth Tourism Day on May 26 when 400 youngsters who sign up through Hott 107.5 will swap classroom for an afternoon to work alongside tourism workers and get a feel for potential careers on offer.

Referring to it as ?Tourism 101? Dr. Brown said: ?We want to invigorate the Bermudian passion for tourism. It is imperative this generation of Bermuda?s youth realise tourism has a place for them, be it as a hotel owner, manager. chef, graphic artist or a tugboat pilot.?

As an added incentive those youngsters who take up the offer will receive VIP tickets to see singer Chris Brown in June.

Eight young Bermudians have been enrolled as Pop & Sizzle Ambassadors, representing a 50 percent increase on last year, to meet and greet visitors and give out information.

And Dr. Brown also mentioned a number of US newspaper and magazine articles giving positive coverage of Bermuda, and seven awards giving to the Island at the 16th annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association?s HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala in New York.