Wholesalers Butterfield & Vallis are aiming to put Bermuda's tourism logo on the map ? by replacing the map of Bermuda that has been on local sugar packets since the 1970s and replacing it with Tourism's Bermuda shorts logo.

Alun Hughes, president and general manager of the food service division of wholesalers Butterfield and Vallis, explained the move is only the first part of an overall plan by the company to expand the branding of Bermuda and better establish it.

Mr. Hughes said the company had presented their ideas to the Tourism Ministry and had been given the go-ahead for the project.

"We see a range of our products that could benefit the Island , we felt, with the updated branding. The sugar packages are the first but we also are looking at putting the new logo on beverage napkins that used to bear the island map."

Mr. Hughes said the napkins are used at many major promotional Bermuda events like the Culinary Arts Festival.

"It is our hope that when people are visiting their Bermuda visit is reinforced through this sort of branding," he said.

Mr. Hughes explained that the move will help give Bermuda a continuity of theme. "The concept of Bermuda is five-star," he said, " and five star hotels brand throughout. Sugar, water, napkins, everything in hotels like the Fairmont are branded. That's what we are aiming for with Bermuda."

Mr. Hughes has met with the small properties group of the Bermuda Hotel Association who he says fully support the idea.

In the future they are working on extending the branding onto cruise ships that call here.

"Imagine as soon as visitors get on the cruise ship if everything was branded with this clean distinct Bermuda logo from sugar to water to napkins."