players roll into town next month.

The Orbis World Bridge Championships are being held in Bermuda for the first time, from January 7 to 21 -- an occasion which marks the return to its founding country of the world's oldest tournament.

The 50th anniversary of the Bermuda Bowl contest will also take place during the event, which features several different competitions for 25 teams from around the world.

The 600-room Fairmont Southampton Princess, which is hosting all the action, is fully booked for part of the three-week period.

Other hotels will benefit as the six-player teams arrive -- some complete with their coaches, physiotherapists and sports psychologists.

Airlines are also on a winning hand, with some flights during the early part of January fully booked. But some teams will be getting the VIP treatment, flying in on private jets provided by rich sponsors.

Bermuda Bridge Club president Sheena Rayner said the majority of players had never visited the Island before, and many will bring partners and family.

"It is exposing people to Bermuda that normally wouldn't be,'' she said.

"We really wanted to have this tournament organised so we can show the rest of the world Bermuda knows how to put on a bridge tournament.

"This competition is the most prestigious in the world of bridge.'' Although the common denominator for most competitors is wealth, there is a diverse cross section of people taking part -- a few from some of the world's poorest countries.

And to get here, the 25 teams had to beat dozens of other countries vying for a qualification spot.

Tourism faces boom In the European sector, 39 countries were competing for six spots.

Actor and famous bridge player Omar Shariff is to attend as is the president of the World Bridge Federation, Jose Damiani.

Up to 25 teams from Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa are included in the finals.

A container carrying essential equipment for the contest has now arrived from France, which is the current world champion.

In it are 140 tables specially designed for bridge, complete with screens -- the Bermuda versions were too short for the competition by one inch.

To generate interest in the event, Bermuda-based Orbis Investment Management Limited sponsored a $50,000 prize for an Internet bridge game.

The winner of the game, which finished three weeks ago, is due to be announced soon.

And Orbis also pumped $1 million into the event, boosting the $300,000 pledged by the Department of Tourism.