Gospel singer CeCe Winans will be coming to Bermuda as part of the controversial faith-based tourism initiative, it was confirmed yesterday.

Following days of confusion, the American singer's booking co-ordinator yesterday stated she would be appearing on the Island on November 24-25, when she is lined up to appear at Fairmont Southampton.

The event was originally advertised on the Department of Tourism's website for December 6-7 — only to be wiped off after booking co-ordinator Jada Gunn pointed out Ms Winans was already scheduled to perform in Georgia on that date.

Earlier this week, Ms Gunn and under-fire faith-based tourism boss Andre Curtis gave The Royal Gazette conflicting answers when asked whether Ms Winans would be appearing on the Island.

Ms Gunn stated there was nothing in Bermuda on Ms Winans' calendar; Mr. Curtis claimed the event was set up for November 24-25 and the wrong date had accidentally been posted on the website.

However, Ms Gunn told this newspaper yesterday: "Yes, there is a confirmed date for November 24-25, 2007, in Bermuda. It is our policy that we do not disclose the details of an event until it is approved by management. If you would like any other details about this date, please feel free to contact Andre Curtis, the promoter."

When questioned on Tuesday, Mr. Curtis told this newspaper full details would be posted on Government's website, Bermudatourism.com, within a day. However, at 10.30 p.m. last night the website had not been updated.

CeCe Winans has won numerous Grammy and Stellar awards, with Government's website previously describing her as an "awesome talent".

Her tour over the next few months includes performances in Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee.

Mr. Curtis, who runs Premier Ewart Brown's constituency in Warwick South Central, has repeatedly come under attack for his management of faith-based tourism, for which he is contracted to receive $400,000 taxpayers' money this financial year. Both deny the scheme is being used as a means of the Premier getting cash to Mr. Curtis as a thank you gesture.

At a press conference last month, Mr. Curtis attempted to silence his critics by producing a list of ten events he claimed he was organising, and handing the media documents he said showed how the money was being accounted for.

However, he was criticised for refusing to entertain questions at the press conference, while he later conceded it had been a mistake to hand out one of the documents, the credibility of which was called into question by the Opposition United Bermuda Party.

He was attacked again earlier this week by former Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert, who said the removal of the CeCe Winans concert from the website led him to wonder about the validity of other events listed on the site.

Faith-based tourism has become a hot topic on blogs based on the Island, with Politics.bm and Bermudasucks.com featuring lengthy debates over the past few days.

One reader on Politics.bm quoted a passage from Hebrews in the Bible: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The reader commented: "How apt for his programme of so-called faith-based tourism!"

Site editor and political commentator Christian Dunleavy posted: "This requires more than faith, it needs blind faith. This is a total debacle. This has nothing to do with tourism. I think Wayne Furbert has it half right in pegging this as a taxpayer funded thank you to the Premier's campaign manager.

"He's missing the fact that it's also a misuse of the tourism budget to court the church vote."