"Hospitality in Bermuda is in dire need of help. If we don't help, no one else will," said 22-year-old Garett Booth, one of the 15 young Bermudians who received more than $100,000 worth of scholarships yesterday to help them follow their dreams.

Dramatic vistas from the top deck of the cruise ship Nordic Empress served as the backdrop for the awards ceremony, which saw budding cooks, managers, pastry chefs and public relations specialists given financial boosts for college tuition.

The scholarship scheme was made possible by Royal Caribbean International, which donated $1 million in total towards the aim of helping inject fresh talent and enthusiasm to Bermuda's ailing tourism industry.

"The windows of opportunity are open and they are large," said Acting Tourism Minsiter Neletha Butterfield. "Bermuda needs industrious people like you. It's a global thing now and we hope these scholarships will help you in etching you own little niches."

She said: "First make yourselves proud, then your parents and then the people of Bermuda."

Mr. Booth, 22, aims to become to become a restaurant chef after he attends Johnston Wales University in the US with the help of a $15,000 scholarship.

Asked why he wanted to get into the industry, he said: "It's a challenge. I enjoy cooking and I enjoy pleasing people.

Takisha Steede, a 27-year-old who got $3,500 to go towards a degree in hospitality management at Bermuda College, said: "I felt the industry needed help. I made it my mission to become part of the process."

"Hospitality is important for the Island financially and it plays a large part in the country as a whole. I don't know what I'm going to do specifically but I know that I'm going to be a key player."

Sharica Robinson, a 19-year-old budding pastry chef, said she was excited about receiving the scholarship because "I just love to cook".

She said she her eventual dream would be to open a restaurant.

Aaran Swan, a 25-year-old who starts a degree in hospitality management at Baltimore International College this September, said he also wanted to open up his own restaurant or get into the hotel business.

"This helps a lot and I'm counting the weeks until I start school. When I first started I was a busboy and that was a summer job. This is the next step. It's a progression. I also love to cook though. Hospitality is how the Island got started. Even though international business is an important industry, tourism will always be Bermuda.

"This is my contribution to the Island."