ERROR RG P4 21.7.2000 A story in The Royal Gazette on July 14 incorrectly quoted the chairman of Crown Cruise Lines, Fred Mayer, as saying that the idea of a cruise and hotel holiday combined didn't make sense to some people. In fact, Mr. Mayer said the idea does make sense to some people. We apologise for the error.

A bid to revitalise the tourism industry by getting cruise passengers into hotels was revealed to be a flop yesterday by the cruise lines involved.

The much-hyped cruise and stay holidays are understood to have failed to capture the public's imagination -- resulting in terrible sales.

Tourism Minister David Allen's claims that the programme could bring an extra 26,000 hotel bed nights now appear to be way off target after the main cruise line involved in the plan admitted it was not a success.

Crown Cruise Lines' Crown Dynasty has 100 berths designated for cruise and stay passengers, but company chairman Fred Mayer said he was disappointed with sales of just 151 vacations since the scheme's launch in early May.

He said: "It is not doing as well as we expected. People don't seem to be very excited about it.

"Either they want to stay in a hotel or they want to take a cruise. The combination of both doesn't seem to make sense to some people.'' The Crown Dynasty is due to increase its number of cruise and stay cabins next year, but Mr. Mayer said it was too early to make a judgment on whether the line would try to re-negotiate the deal.

He said: "We will wait and see how things work out.'' Apple Vacations, which handle the vessel, said the sales were "disappointing''.

Vice president Ray Daly said there was a conservative element in the travel agent community and the travelling public that had yet to take up the idea.

"It is a marketing assignment. We need to dig deep down and say this is a terrific vacation opportunity and try to get that across to the public and for agents to make a little bit more of an effort,'' he said.

Mr. Daly said there was nothing wrong with the product and there were many glowing testimonials from satisfied passengers.

However, travel agents staff at tour operators handling Apple Vacations in the ship's home port of Philadelphia admitted the scheme was not selling.

Several said it was not popular. Others tried to direct callers to cruise-only holidays, saying no-one in the office had ever booked a fly and cruise holiday to Bermuda.

Mr. Allen has stated that extra berths -- created by a refit and larger replacement vessel -- on the Norwegian Majesty and Nordic Empress would have to be filled by cruise and stay.

At one point he said he had "held the cruise companies feet to the fire'' on numbers and stated that the Ministry had "contractual leverage'' and if a larger ship was put on "those extra berths would have to be for hotel stays''.

Donald MacPherson, of Nordic Empress' agents John S. Darrell, said: "I am not aware that it is on the cruise and stay programme.'' Visitors not buying into cruise and stay Calls to both cruise lines' US headquarters revealed a complete lack of information on the holidays.

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), owners of the Majesty , said cruise and stay was going on but refused to comment further until after a meeting with Department of Tourism officials at the end of the month.

However, a reservations assistant at NCL, knew nothing of the programme and said "the ship is the hotel''.

The company's tour operator, Liberty Travel, was also in the dark. A New York-based salesman said "you don't stay in Bermuda, but you can stay in a hotel in Boston''.

And staff at Royal Caribbean International, home of the Nordic Empress , said they had no knowledge of cruise and stay holidays in Bermuda.

Mr. Allen said last night, in response to faxed questions, that he would not be able to access the necessary information until today at the earliest.

He added: "However I will point out to you that the Nordic Empress is not part of the fly, cruise and stay programme.''