wealthy German tourists.

The golf-loving, tennis-playing Germans tend to stay longer and spend more than American visitors, Tourism officials have found.

But Bermuda is losing out to the Caribbean in getting their business. Now Tourism spending in Europe has been boosted in a bid to capture a bigger chunk of the market.

A big portion of the cash will be spent on an advertising campaign aimed at the public in Germany and Austria, plus German speakers in Switzerland.

Researchers have been quizzing European air travellers to find out what would attract them to Bermuda.

That research is being analysed before launching the campaign.

Newspaper and other consumer advertising is already done in Britain, where about $975,000 will be spent by Tourism on marketing in 1993-4.

In mainland Europe, the marketing effort is confined to German-speaking countries and Sweden. Up to now activities have mainly been restricted to travel trade work, producing German-language literature, running a German-language phone line and inserting brochures in magazines.

But following a boost in the mainland European budget from $250,000 to $750,000, Tourism's marketing force will be able to reach a wider public.

"All this represents quite a leap for us,'' said Mr. Steve Tuckwell, deputy director at Tourism's European office in London.

"This extra money gives us the ability to undertake some consumer advertising which we have never been able to do before.

"We're undertaking quite a big research programme amongst people boarding flights at London's Gatwick airport both to Bermuda and competing destinations.

"We want to find out how they perceive Bermuda and other destinations, and why they're choosing to go where they're going.

"We want to find out the trigger stimuli which cause people to choose Bermuda.

"Once we've got these research findings, which are being assessed at the moment, then we'll be able to develop our advertising.'' The ads would build on the Island's small but healthy profile in German-speaking countries.

"We're managing to get more and more tour operators to feature Bermuda in their programmes,'' Mr. Tuckwell said.

The Swiss market was doing very well, he said. And according to one German tour operator, Bermuda was the only destination that was up this year.

Bermuda had about 4,000 German-speaking visitors last year, just under 3,000 of them from Germany itself.

"They stay a lot longer and they spend a lot more. They love golf -- golfing holidays are the prime reason for them to come to Bermuda, and it's an attraction we've pushed quite a lot.'' But research was showing the problems in creating an individual image for the Island.

"There's a great deal of confusion as to where Bermuda is. A lot of people have heard of it but don't understand what it has to offer.

"Everybody's heard of the Bermuda Triangle and Bermuda shorts but it's confused with the Caribbean, especially Barbados and the Bahamas.

"It's a very difficult task to differentiate Bermuda.'' Mr. Tuckwell said the ad campaign could stress qualities including the Islands' colonial heritage, safety and security, excellent beaches and friendly people.

Tourism had been very supportive in increasing the cash for European marketing, he said. Another budget boost could make a drive into northern Italy possible.

Assistant Tourism Department director Mr. Peter Smith said Bermuda only got a "tiny percentage'' of the European tourism market.

"That's a result of the air seats available to a degree, but now I believe we're in a position of British Airways experiencing good loads on their London service.'' Bermuda could get more BA flights the year after next, he said.

It was therefore timely to boost awareness of the Island in Europe, he said.

European visitors to Bermuda were also being interviewed on arrival and departure, he said.