Europe will now be making a stop in the Dominican Republic, the Tourism Minister confirmed yesterday.

"As the Island knows,'' the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge said, "we had initially planned for a summer service between Frankfurt, Germany and Bermuda that would have terminated here (and) then returned directly back to Germany.

"As it turns out, this may have been a bit ambitious for year one. We have ultimately agreed with Condor that the only viable option is to combine a Bermuda stop with a stop in Santo Domingo.'' Citing "bookings (that) have not been at a level that Condor and we anticipated'' as the reason for the add-on, he said the revamped flight would originate in Frankurt, fly to Bermuda and Santo Domingo and then return to Germany.

He added that an application for landing rights had been submitted to the Department of Transportation in London and Tourism's partners in the venture -- "the hotels, the Bank of Bermuda and the Bank of Butterfield'' -- were satisfied that the agreement still provided "the Island with direct service from Germany at minimal risk''.

While the revamped service gives Germans a non-stop link to the Island, it does not supply either visitors or Bermudians with uninterrupted service to mainland Europe.

In January, Tourism Director Mr. Gary Phillips championed the Condor service for its convenience to Bermudians and ability to connect them to a number of European cities.

Under the new schedule, outgoing Condor travellers will now face a stopover in the Dominican Republic and at least two more hours of flying time.

It is also unclear if the revised service by Condor would still encourage German tourists to choose Bermuda over Caribbean destinations.

"Bermuda is still a new destination in Germany and it takes time to establish a market,'' the Minister admitted, adding: "We are considering this service as a developmental step toward the main objective of dedicated service from Germany.'' Mr. Woolridge said "there (was) always a recognition that we might have to alter the initial plans'' if advanced bookings for the service were soft''.

Condor, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines, is still expected to provide its scheduled service on a 269-seat Boeing 767 aircraft.

The flights are scheduled to take off from Frankfurt on May 2.

More than 100 American travel agents will arrive in Bermuda aboard Viscount Air this morning and spend the entire day acquainting themselves with some of the hotels and attractions on the island.

The trip which the Bermuda Department of Tourism is helping to sponsor alongside Philadelphia-based Apple Vacations, is intended to give the 130 agents a first-hand view of the Island.

Many of the agents work out of Baltimore although some also work in Washington and Virginia.