NEARLY everyone has heard of the Bermuda Triangle and the island's tourism boss in London uses that fact to sell Bermuda ? even when he bumps into a world-famous film director.

As the Ministry of Tourism's regional sales manager for the UK and Europe, Thomas MacDonald was among the island's delegation at last month's ITB travel fair in Berlin, when Ron Howard popped by.

Mr. Howard, who won an Oscar for best director for his movie , struck up a conversation with Mr. MacDonald, who grabbed the opportunity to stake a claim for a feature-film-sized advertisement for the island.

"I said maybe it would be worth looking at the potential of Bermuda as a film location," Mr. MacDonald said. "I suggested he could make a film about the Bermuda Triangle.

"He said that seemed like a brilliant idea and took my business card."

Mr. Howard started his career as an actor ? his best known role was probably as Richie Cunningham on the TV comedy ? and has gone on to earn a reputation as one of the top directors in cinema. As well as , he made , and .

Few Bermudians get excited about the Triangle ? the area of ocean cornered by Bermuda in the north and Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico in the south.

But the legends of ships and planes disappearing into thin air are widely known around the world, often the only thing that many people associate with the island.

"The Triangle often comes up early in conversation with people," Mr. MacDonald. "They say they hope they're not going to get lost and I try to put into context.

"Ships disappear everywhere and when was the last time you heard of a ship or a plane disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle?

"It helps us to describe where Bermuda is and it's a good way of striking up a conversation."

Mr. MacDonald adopts a "never miss an opportunity to sell the island" approach to his work in Bermuda Tourism's London office, which he has run since it opened last October.

"This is what we do ? every time we press the flesh with anyone, we take the opportunity to make conversation," Mr. MacDonald said.

"Vacations are something people are willing to talk about. It's not like asking someone how much money they earn."

Mr. MacDonald represented Bermuda Tourism in Chicago and Boston, before he was asked to set up a London office after the Ministry terminated the contract with its previous advertising agency, Hills Balfour.