Bermuda Tourism has formed a new overseas alliance in a bid to encourage more Europeans to the Island.

During last year, there were increases almost every month of visitors from Europe, and in a bid to build on that two new representatives have been appointed.

The marketing duo will operate from Germany but will also aim to raise the Island's profile in Switzerland and Austria.

Tourism Minister David Allen said the Island had seen a 10 percent increase in visitors from those three countries in the first nine months of last year.

"We continue to feel there is tremendous potential for growth from the German-speaking markets and the brief for the two representatives is to build on this increase in 2000,'' Mr. Allen said.

Up until November 1999, just over 7,000 people had visited the Island from Europe, up nine percent on the previous year. The summer saw up to 985 people arriving a month.

The appointments were made after a review by Bermuda Tourism in London.

Frank Selle, of Royal Marketing in Dusseldorf, will be working with tour operators and recruiting agents for specialist training schemes, in addition to encouraging more group and incentive trade.

Anja Herzberg, of AKB Marketing Services in Mainz, will be aiming to get Bermuda onto the pages of upmarket magazines and in the national media.

At present there is only one flight from Europe, the British Airways four-times-a-week Gatwick service, but tourism officials hope a direct service from Germany could be a reality.

But with a new, afternoon Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta starting in the spring, there are options for European travellers to use connecting services and make the Island in a day.