environmental award for helping to preserve and protect the planet.

Judges at Sunday's American Society of Travel Agents/Smithsonian Magazine Environmental Awards said Bermuda's environmental policies and laws had made it "a leader in contributing to the goal of environmentally responsible tourism''.

It was noted the Island's 60,000 residents welcomed over 500,000 visitors each year, while remaining "committed to preserving its beauty''. And environmental efforts went back to 1820 when the first Parliament took steps to protect over-hunted turtles.

Bermuda, along with natural history tour operator Sven-Olof Linblad, was chosen from more than 40 companies, individuals and countries vying for the third annual awards. ASTA is the world's largest travel trade association.

The following local restrictions supporting conservation and preservation efforts were singled out by judges: one car per household, no rental cars, the prohibiting of outdoor advertising and neon signs, the 1991 Clean Air Act ensuring purity of rainwater, the restrictive cruise ship policy, and protection under the Fisheries Act of corals, whales, dolphins, porpoises and marine turtles.

Also noted was the National Parks Act creating 79 parks and nature reserves, the "living museum'' of Nonsuch Island, and the controversial fish pot ban "to conserve the country's vital fisheries''.

The winners were announced during ASTA's 63rd World Travel Congress in Missouri, attended by Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge and director Mr. Gary Phillips. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was the keynote speaker.

Past winners of the award have been British Airways, safari outfitter Abercrombie and Kent International and Costa Rica.

Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons, thrilled at winning the "prestigious'' award, saw it as international recognition and approval of Bermuda's environmental laws and regulations, which had also had a positive impact on tourism.

He added that the many environmental groups in Bermuda such as KBB and the Bermuda National Trust, along with environmentally conscious businesses and individuals, had also helped win the award for Bermuda.