seen as an added bonus by many visitors who claim they did not come to the Island for warm weather.

"We've been coming back since 1983 and that's not an enticement one way or another,'' said Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pisani, of New York. "It's of no consequence to us. I hardly think the scheme would be a deciding factor although it is an interesting gimmick.'' Only three days after introducing the scheme, Hamilton Princess, Southampton Princess, Grotto Bay Hotel and Elbow Beach Hotel, were required to give guests paying regular hotel rates a 20 percent discount for the night after temperatures failed to reach the guaranteed 68 degrees on Sunday. The day's high was a chilly 63.7 degrees.

The scheme does not apply to those staying under special or group rates.

Yesterday, most visitors at the Southampton Princess interviewed by The Royal Gazette described the 20 percent discount they received on their rooms for that night, along with discounts and offers at over 40 stores, as "an added bonus''.

All said they were unaware of the scheme when making vacation plans while none indicated they would be making a special trip into Hamilton to take advantage of the discounts offered by shopkeepers.

"We never heard of it until we got here,'' said Dr. and Mrs. Robert Davenport on holiday from North Carolina. "It didn't really affect any of our plans. We expected cooler weather. The idea was just to get away.'' Agreed Swiss visitors Mr. Jean-Paul Calmes and Ms Christiane Dhevaneaz: "The change in weather didn't affect our plans at all but the scheme is a very good promotional idea. The temperatures are ideal for golf and that's what we came here for. We will be back.'' Last January there were only four days when the temperature failed to reach 68 degrees.

And yesterday, tourism director Mr. Gary Phillips described Sunday's temperature fall as "a bit of a fluke'', and predicted warmer weather in the coming days.

"We have no control over the weather, but we did our research beforehand, and came up with a programme we knew we could deliver on. I do not see it as a loss to the hotels. The visitors have gained. That's the whole point of the scheme. Guests get something back when it's a little bit chilly.'' Mr. Phillips said he did not know at this stage how many extra visitors the programme had pulled in.

He said he would be contacting the department's New York office to get some idea of the scheme's impact.

"I've been told the phones in hotels are ringing, but that's not to say the calls will be converted into bookings. That remains to be seen.'' Mr. Phillips said he believed major hotels were about one third full, roughly the same as last year.

He added that the programme was definitely not a "one-off'' idea, and would be repeated.

ADDED BONUS -- A butter sculpture shows the daily temperature reading for guests at the Southampton Princess hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pisani were among several to receive a bonus in the form of a 20 percent room discount for Sunday night after temperatures failed to reach the guaranteed 68 degrees.