Tourism Minister Renee Webb held "very positive" talks with Virgin Tours this week on attracting flights to Bermuda and will make a ministerial statement later this week, she said yesterday.

She met Virgin and British Airways Tours, while at the world's largest tourism exhibition ? the World Tourism Market ? in London this week.

"Both outcomes were very positive and I will be making a ministerial statement on Friday. I have to discuss it with (Transport Minister) Dr. (Ewart) Brown first," said Ms Webb last night.

The minister also did a television interview for the Travel Channel, a live Internet interview, and a Press conference to answer questions about Bermuda and how the Island's hotels have shaped up after Hurricane Fabian. She also spoke about the African Diaspora Heritage Trail during a Peace Through Tourism forum.

"Bermuda got a lot of exposure, the type of publicity you could not pay for, in terms of the television coverage," she said.

"This market is held every year and Bermuda has not really had a presence as it pulled out a couple of years ago. I went to assess it and to take advantage of the media exposure."

Representatives from Bermuda Resort Hotels, Coco Reef, Cambridge Beaches and The Reefs were also at the tourism expo.

On Thursday and Friday last week, Ms Webb attended a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office conference on tourism development in the Caribbean.

She said that conference ? which she attended because Britain requested Bermuda send someone ? was of more benefit to the UK and Caribbean countries than Bermuda.

The European Union had money available for tourism investment, but Bermuda would not normally qualify because its per capita income was so high, although some Caribbean countries may get EU help with building their tourism, she said.

The conference discussed a common $20 a head cruise ship tax for the Caribbean, but this would not affect Bermuda as it had its own rate, she said.