Minister for Tourism Renee Webb missed the Caribbean tourism conference held on the Island last week because she was away on holiday.

Despite both Government's Department of Communication and Information and Acting Tourism Minister Randolph Horton claiming Ms Webb was away on business - she said last night that she was, in fact, on vacation with her family.

Ms Webb said she took her daughter and niece to Cuba for the week on their annual Easter break, and had no intention of cancelling it for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference.

Instead, Mr. Horton stood in for Ms Webb, and Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott stood in for Premier Jennifer Smith in opening the event, as she was away on business.

Minister Webb said yesterday: "So what, I've been on vacation.

"The tourism conference was not organised by us. It just happened to be in Bermuda.

"I was on holiday with my daughter and my niece. We do it every year during the Easter break.

"The conference was a conference that was just held in Bermuda. If I was here, I would probably have gone to something, but we had acting ministers.

"It's a collective form of Government. If one person is not there, someone else steps in."

But the Minister said she had never intended to be on the Island for the conference.

And she said, while in Cuba, she went to see the Bermuda Youth Jazz Ensemble, who were performing at the national school of music.

She added: "People have conferences in Bermuda. It's good for tourism, and if I had been here I would probably have gone, but I would not have been there every day.

"I was just at one in Germany not too long ago, which had the same speaker. This was a regional one and that was an international one.

"Everyone knew I was not going to be there because I was on vacation."