BERMUDIANS could be being "disenfranchised" from some jobs in hotels and restaurants, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

And the Ministry has now launched an advertising campaign to find out whether this is a real trend or a false rumour.

The Ministry placed an advertisement in The Royal Gazette on Tuesday. It asks: "Are you a Bermudian who has tried to find a job without success in the hospitality (tourism) industry?"

The advertisement then adds: "If so, we want to hear from you."

It gives the Ministry of Tourism number, 292-0023.

Asked what prompted the placement of the ad, Director of Tourism Cherie Whitter said: "It's just there as a means of gathering hard data about who is searching for employment in the hospitality industry.

"There are suggestions being made on a regular basis about Bermudians being disenfranchised in the hospitality industry.

"So what the Ministry is doing is trying to determine whether this is fact of fiction."

Ms Whitter that there had been "between six and ten" responses to Tuesday's advertisement.

The Department of Statistics 2003 Employment Survey, released earlier this year, showed the number of hotel jobs was decreasing.

It stated that in 2003, there were 2,981 hotel jobs, a drop of 813 since 1999.