good work being done on the other side of the Atlantic is going largely unnoticed. But Bermuda's Director of Tourism in the UK and Europe, Pippa Grive, who was on the Island over the weekend, is working to change the level of awareness. Ms Grive spoke to The Royal Gazette reporter Henry Adderley about the effort to attract European and UK visitors to Bermuda. This is the first of a two-part series. The second part will run on Tuesday.

*** Straight off the bat, Ms Grive highlights the success her department is experiencing while North American figures drop.

"Arrivals out of the UK are up six percent for the year and out of Europe they are up by five percent. By the end of the year we should have about 32,000 Europeans who visited the Island. Obviously we are delighted in the year when we have also seen a 25 percent cut in capacity.'' British Airways dropped one flight to the Island this year leaving the Island with only three flights from London.

This is set to change next year with the introduction of British Airway's new 777 aircraft to the route plus the reintroduction of a fourth Friday flight.

The news means the capacity to the Island from the UK will jump about 60 percent.

Ms Grive said: "To see that kind of growth in capacity coming out of Europe when you've only got one main carrier coming in is a reflection of a lot more growth to come.'' To help capitalise on this increased capacity, and fill the larger number of available seats, the UK branch has a number of initiatives underway.

The first is "aligning Bermuda with the North American market,'' said Ms Grive.

In the past, Bermuda was often associated with the Caribbean. The effort was now being directed at getting Bermuda in a position where it could ride on North America's success as "the number one long haul destination market out of Europe''.

She pointed out that in July, 1997, 52 percent of European travellers coming to Bermuda went through the US.

"We are forging close partnerships with Boston, New York and Toronto as well as with national and American airlines.'' While passengers from Europe and the UK could often get same day connections to the Island, she continued, they often wished to stay in the US for two or three days before coming to Bermuda.

This travel trend of wanting two different holiday experiences during the same holiday was called two-centre holidays, said Ms Grive. Another area of travel from Europe seen to be growing was the "short break vacation'', she added.

New York had seen a 20 percent boom in short break visitors from Europe who "think nothing about a seven hour flight for a three day vacation,'' said Ms Grive.

Bermuda was in a perfect position to capitalise on this market also.

"Both the short break and two centre markets are a great way to attract the all important first time visitor,'' she continued.

"I believe that these two sections will add incremental business to the core two week visitor market. We are not taking people away with this, we are bringing people who might not normally travel to Bermuda to the Island.'' Also attracting the first time visitor was the cruise industry, she added.

"It is great to see the figures for Europe up 44 percent for cruises to Bermuda.'' These first time visitors created more business when they returned for another vacation and when they recommended a Bermuda holiday to their friends.

"The airport survey shows that 36 percent of Europeans said they came to Bermuda because other people recommended it. That is huge.''