-- not just to boost low visitor figures but to make sure airlines keep their Bermuda routes.

"I think it is fair to say that this is somewhat of a critical year, as all the airlines look very carefully at the destinations they fly to,'' Tourism Director Mr. Gary Phillips said yesterday.

"And obviously, if the programmes do not appear to be working, they'll have to reexamine whether or not they are going to fly to Bermuda or not.'' Last winter saw greater than normal cuts in winter service to the Island, together with the sudden demise of Pan Am. That compounded the problem of low winter visitor arrivals, and inconvenienced international business and local travellers as well.

American Airlines added evening service from New York and is now the largest carrier on the route. But just last month, one of the airline's senior executives warned that it was losing money and needed to improve.

"I've been fighting for the last three years within American Airlines not to close the Bermuda route,'' senior vice president Mr. Peter J. Dolora warned a gathering of local tourist industry officials.

"We are looking for Bermuda to support American to make this station profitable,'' American Airlines local manager Mrs. Carol DeCouto said yesterday. "We're working very closely with the Hotel Association to improve next winter's sales. We are planning a shared marketing effort.'' Mr. Phillips said a special steering committee has been set up, chaired by deputy Tourist Board chairman Mr. Paul Leseur. Sub-committees are looking into different issues, he said, and airlines, hotels, the Chamber of Commerce, the transportation industries and others are being consulted.

"We are hoping that we will be able to finalise our programme sometime before the end of May,'' he said.

While this procedure takes place annually, there is added urgency now.

"The airline industry for example is going through a total re-examination, and if we are not careful we can lose service,'' Mr. Phillips said. "So it does have greater import than it has in the past.

The programme that emerges is likely to involve elements of the Rendezvous Select Packages offered a few years ago, when airlines, hotels and the Department of Tourism put together three- and four-day packages.

"We want to expand on that idea and try to create much more value for money,'' Mr. Phillips said. For example, he said, guests at a hotel might be given free golf as an added value.

Mr. Phillips said the ultimate object must be to offer visitors value, and to prove to them there is plenty to do beside sunbathe.

"The November to March period has traditionally represented something like 20 percent of the total arrivals to the Island. That has translated into airlines taking a hiatus for six weeks or something like that.

"We'd like to get to the point where they don't see the necessity, especially out of specific gateways. We don't want to be in a position where we were this past winter when Pan Am folded, where there was about 20 days in January when we had no direct service out of New York.