wins the US presidential election.

That was the claim yesterday of Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge.

Mr. Woolridge went on the offensive over recommendations for Bermuda following May's international tourism forum.

Many of the ideas were old hat, had been considered and discarded, or had already been implemented.

"I don't want the public to be given the impression the Tourism Ministry has been sitting on its hands doing nothing,'' he said.

Mr. Woolridge scoffed at an assertion Bermuda must wait up to six years for its tourism industry to begin booming again.

Dr. Don Hawkins, a tourism professor from George Washington University, warned there were no "quick-fixes'' to solving the Island's problems.

"It took five to six years for it to reach its present stage -- the recovery will take as long.'' Dr. Hawkins spoke on Thursday while unwrapping the package of recommendations for the Island following the "price value'' forum at Bermuda College.

The recommendations were hammered out after three meetings between Bermuda's delegates at the forum.

But Mr. Woolridge said Bermuda's economic success hinged on America's performance.

And if Clinton triumphed at the polls and carried out his pre-election pledge to jump-start the US economy through a huge cash injection, Bermuda could reap the benefits quickly.

Mr. Woolridge stressed, however, this view did not mean he was backing Clinton.

It merely picked at the certainty of Dr. Hawkins' six year forecast.

Mr. Woolridge went on to pour cold water on the recommendations from the forum.

He said, for instance, the idea of a "national tourism career awareness programme'' had been looked into some time ago.

"That's nothing revolutionary. For years I have been trying to get tourism to be part of the school curriculum. It is now going to happen.'' Mr. Woolridge also shot down the recommendation for Bermuda to consider joining the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

"I don't subscribe to the view we should join. It would cost us $50,000-a-year to be a member of it.

"I don't think we will get any benefits at all, with other Islands seeing how we do things.'' Mr. Woolridge said Bermuda was different from the other Caribbean Islands, which were warmer.

"Their high season is our low season,'' he added.

On the recommendation for the tourism industry to forge better links with international business, Mr. Woolridge was equally scathing.

"This is something we have been doing for years,'' he said.

Mr. Woolridge said he had long recognised the importance of convention business.

He had backed proposed convention facilities at the Elbow Beach Hotel and with the Ritz Carlton project.

Delays to both schemes, however, had affected plans to boost the Island's group business.

Mr. Woolridge went on to question the wisdom of the idea of setting up a festival market place.

It was important not to harm Bermuda's "unique'' image, and tourism appeal.

This appeal stemmed from five factors: Bermuda's proximity to the United States; the Island's beauty; crime-free reputation; the friendliness of the people; and the British image.

Mr. Woolridge stressed Bermuda was currently well positioned for a tourism revival.

The country enjoyed an "incredible'' 13 flights a day out of North America, he said.

Mr. Woolridge admitted there was a need to improve air links with the United Kingdom.

But he added: "We have several irons in the fire to address that.'' Last night Mrs. Jan Doidge, spokeswoman for Bermuda College's centre for tourism and innovation, sponsors of the forum, stressed the recommendations had been majority decisions of the Bermuda delegates.

She said the proposals were not an intended slight on the efforts of the Tourism Ministry.

"They were meant to be helpful, to find ways of improving the country's performance.''