Thirteen-year-old Deanna Weekes from Class 3, Dellwood Middle School, won the grand prize in the Bermuda International Business Association Tourism Appreciation Week essay competition. Middle school students from across the Island were asked to write essays on the theme of "The Hospitality Industry and International Business are undeniably linked, after all, it's about all of us''. The full text of Deanna's essay is published below.

International business and the hospitality industry have a direct link.

International Business is comprised of overseas companies that have received permission to register in Bermuda. The Bermuda International Business Association has members from areas of accounting, banking, legal counsel, and investment management, which cover over 65 percent of all companies here.

Each year international business pays large sums of money into our Government treasury. This money helps support our schools, our roads, our health care systems and numerous other services to our community. International business touches our lives in many different ways. Tourism's role in International Business is to make the businessmen and women comfortable by making sure when they arrive transportation is waiting for them, and by taking them to specific places of interest in Bermuda.

Without the Hospitality Industry, the International Business employees would not be able to conduct their business in a pleasant, enjoyable environment.

Many of the business visitors who come to Bermuda are employed by International Business, and because of them, International Business runs smoothly.

The Hospitality Industry relies on taxi drivers for transportation. The guests play golf for recreation and so require the service of golf caddies. Their accommodations are taken care of in hotels and guest houses. They also use local restaurants for dining.

Due to the fact that conventions are one of the main ways that business people gather, Bermuda is a great spot for this. The people who work for the various hotels, taxi companies, restaurants, and island cruises deal specifically with the company to plan for their stay while on the island. In essence this provides a lot of Bermudians with employment, from the government services on down to bellmen in hotels. Also money is circulating and keeping our economy moving.

Hopefully when guests leave Bermuda they will tell friends and family how beautiful Bermuda is and welcoming the people are. Thus more and more guest will come each year because they hear good news about Bermuda. These two industries are a definite part of my life.

A part of my life: Deanna Weekes COMPETITION CPN EDUCATION ED