Tourism Minister Renee Webb said yesterday the international publicity surrounding Bermuda using images shot overseas in its latest advertising campaign was great for the Island.

CNN ran the story on its headline news yesterday and Sunday; ABC has it on its website; and newspapers such as the New York Post have carried reports.

The New York Post headline on Saturday was "Don't be so shore this is really Bermuda".

Bermuda's advertising agency Arnold Worldwide used a picture of a woman shot on a beach in Hawaii in one of the adverts in the campaign.

But the image of the woman was converted to black and white and cropped, surrounded by colour photographs of Elbow Beach.

Ms Webb said yesterday that the picture by photographer Anne Menke was cropped in such a way that it did not show a beach.

The other shots in the campaign taken outside the Island were of a diver surrounded by a school of what is believed to barracuda, and a woman swimming with a dolphin that may have been taken in Florida.

"It's great free publicity. CNN was tongue in cheek, (talking of) the war of the beaches," Ms Webb told The Royal Gazette.

"I think its wonderful. Bermuda's beaches can outdo Hawaii's beaches any day, and I have been to Hawaii.

"I don't think negativity is necessarily bad press. Adverts are designed to create buzz and no beach is in there, and if there was a beach, we would use a Bermuda beach.

"What is key is that there isn't a beach in the picture, there is no beach showing. There is a reef line that could have been anywhere.

"I have no regrets at all. It's an excellent campaign, geared at getting attention.

"Free publicity for Bermuda is a plus. Do you know how much it would have cost us to get a minute on CNN?

"I just have to make light of it, because no beach is in the picture. If there was a picture of beach, we would have used a Bermuda beach, because they can outdo Hawaii's beaches."

The row broke last week when photographer Graeme Outerbridge complained that three images used in the campaign from Anne Menke were shot outside Bermuda.

Ms Webb said Mr. Outerbridge only knew the shot of the model was from Hawaii because he saw the original when it was submitted as part of Ms Menke's portfolio. Bermuda Photographic Association was shown the portfolio by the Department of Tourism to justify using the overseas photographer.

Ms Webb added yesterday: "The only way Graeme Outerbridge knew (it was a beach in Hawaii) was because he saw the original beach in the portfolio, but if he hadn't seen the original, he wouldn't have known it was a beach."

But in Hawaii, Bermuda's rivals were rubbing their hands with glee about the publicity generated.

Rex Johnson, the president of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "We're very flattered. It's great advertising for us."

When told Ms Webb said Bermuda's beaches outshine those of Hawaii, Mr. Johnson said: "Everyone can have their own opinion, but we are just very happy to have you folks advertising our beaches. We love that."

Mr. Outerbridge was adamant yesterday that the campaign was dishonest and the images should be withdrawn.

"Free publicuty about dishonesty is not free publicity about how beautiful Bermuda is," he said. "I still think adverts in question should be withdrawn because enough adverts were generated with all Bermuda ones to replace ones which are flawed.

"If Ms Webb thinks this is good publicity for Bermuda, well Aloha Renee."

Yesterday The Royal Gazette reported that a number of photographers on the Island had differing opinions of the advertising pictures, with some believing the whole row had been blown out of proportion, and others believing it was warranted.

James Cooper, who was one of four Bermudian photographers involved in the advertising campaign, believed it was a storm in a teacup.

He said the photographs were designed to create an image and an emotion, and said the picture of the woman on a beach was more about the person and the atmosphere. He said there was very little of the beach actually showing.

But he said he believed the Ministry of Tourism had every right to go overseas to hire a photographer, such as Anne Menke, if that was what it wanted to do. He said he had no problem with that.

However, photographer Bruno Zupp said he disagreed both with the use of the photograph taken in Hawaii to promote Bermuda, and the use of overseas photographers.

He said the Ministry should have only used local photographers and used local shots in its advertising campaign.