Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown is in Zambia this week in an effort to revive the African Diaspora Heritage Trail. Recommendations are also being made to the Public Services Commission regarding the hiring of a folklife officer to head the trail, Cultural Affairs Minister Dale Butler said yesterday. Attending an African tourism summit in Lusaka, Dr. Brown said via e-mail yesterday afternoon that Premier Alex Scott asked him to revive the trail. ?(Former Tourism Minister) David Allen in 2002 initiated the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference in Bermuda,? he explained. ?It was hailed a success, but was not on the Tourism Department schedule last year.

?The Premier has asked me to revive it, and my mission here in Lusaka is to invite the African Ministers of Tourism to attend our Planning Conference in September of this year. There was no other golden opportunity to see them in one place, and we took advantage of it.?

Mr. Allen (pictured) blazed a trail with the initiative in 2002, the first cross-boundaries co-operative campaign to target black tourists. The trail was developed to identify, conserve and promote historic sites linked with the development and progress of people of African descent in Bermuda, and market tourism activities related to these sites in the international marketplace.

Some locations on the local trail include St. John AME church in Bailey?s Bay, The Royal Naval Dockyard, Barbers Alley and the slave cemetery at St. Peter?s Church in St. George?s among other places.

In the 2004 Budget Statement, however, Finance Minister Paula Cox announced the trail was being moved from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. While it is still under the remit of Cultural Affairs, Mr. Butler explained yesterday that many details are being worked out with Bermuda Tourism ? who obviously have a large stake in the initiative.

Tourism has been patient regarding the hiring of the folklife officer, Mr. Butler said, adding that the post has been advertised and a number of people have already applied. Recommendations are being made to the Public Services Commission now, he said, however no deadline for the hiring of the officer has yet been set due to unexpected delays. In the meantime, he added, the pieces are being put into place so that once the officer is named, they can hit the ground running. ?I want to get Bermudians involved,? he said.

Dr. Brown travelled to Zambia from Jamaica at the weekend after attending the China-Caribbean Trade and Economic Forum held by the Jamaican Government. All Caricom countries were invited, he said. The agenda included Tourism ? making it an event he did not want to miss. ?Wherever I see an opportunity to attract new visitors in significant numbers, I am inclined to attend and tell our wonderful story.

?I did so and found out what we have to do to have Bermuda designated by the Chinese as an Approved Tourist Destination. Eleven other Caribbean islands were so named last week.

?It was as simple and delightful as that. I also ate some great Chinese food while in Jamaica, which has a large Chinese population.?

Next Dr. Brown will head to Miami to meet with cruise lines and play in a charity golf tournament with the Miami Heat. He will then continue on his whirlwind tour, travelling to Atlanta to speak at the largest African-American business luncheon held annually in that city.

Dr. Brown returns to Bermuda in time for the Budget, which will be released on February 18.