Michael Douglas has signed a $5 million deal to promote Majorca - but a tourist activist believes Bermuda should have snapped the film star up first to sell the Island.

Mr. Douglas has had a home in the Spanish island for 20 years and last November he signed the deal with the Majorcan Tourist Board.

Bermuda.com owner Tony Brannon said yesterday the Department of Tourism should have signed up Mr. Douglas because the movie star, who has a house in Warwick and is part owner of Ariel Sands, would be an obvious magnet to attract visitors.

And he said Tourism had missed another golden chance to promote the Island through Shaun Goater when he was playing for Manchester City.

“There's no doubt about it, Michael has done a lot for Bermuda, so you can't knock him,” said Mr. Brannon yesterday.

“He gave Bermuda.com a great interview in October where he talks about Bermuda and he is very, very fond of Bermuda.

“Whether or not the Department of Tourism missed an opportunity to get him to do something similar to what he's doing in Majorca, people can draw their own conclusions.

“If I were at the Department of Tourism, I would not have missed the opportunity to have called on Michael and Catherine Zeta-Jones to see if they would be interested in working in that capacity.

“Nor would I have missed the opportunity to approach Shaun Goater when he was in his prime at Manchester City.

“I would have had posters all over Manchester of Shaun with that great big smile, saying ‘Come to Bermuda - that's where I spend my summer holidays'.

“Who knows if Michael and Catherine have been approached by the Tourism marketing department, but it would be nice to think they have.”

The Royal Gazette e-mailed Tourism yesterday to find out if any approach had been made to Mr. Douglas but did not receive a response.

When news broke in November that Mr. Douglas was promoting Majorca, his spokesman denied there was a conflict of interest with him also singing the praises of Bermuda.

“I don't even understand how one could think there could be a conflict,” said spokesman Alan Bury.

“Michael has had his house in Majorca for 20 years, and he loves living in and raising his family in Bermuda.”

And yesterday he dismissed a rumour that the actor has been told to cool his promotion of Bermuda because he has signed the lucrative deal with Majorca.

“No, he has not been told that at all. He can do what he likes,” Mr. Bury told The Royal Gazette.

He added that did not know if Mr. Douglas has been asked by Bermuda Department of Tourism to do any promotional work.