The tourist industry is hoping to become a world-leader by developing a detailed computer data base of visitors' preferences.

If the system becomes a reality, hotels and businesses will have detailed information about visitors' favourite drinks, restaurants, sports and even what clothes they buy while in Bermuda.

Hoteliers and Government have agreed to create this Islandwide data base, which is known as a customer relations management (CMR) profile, to improve service to guests and encourage them to return.

Cambridge Beaches president Michael Winfield said the system would put Bermuda at the cutting edge of customer service because of the wealth of information it would provide about guests.

But details of the scheme will have to be worked out to ensure that tourists are not concerned about the level of information about them which is being held on the data base. And wide-ranging discussions will need to take place about who will pay for the system, which technology to use, who will operate it and what information it will contain.

Mr. Winfield told The Royal Gazette that there was a great sense of excitement among the hotel owners of Bermuda about the system after presentations of this new e-commerce technology were made at the second annual Bermuda National Tourism Conference last week at the Fairmont Southampton Princess.

"We have agreed to the concept of establishing this Bermuda data warehouse to capture very important data on incoming guests, enabling us to market to them electronically," said Mr. Winfield.

"If they come in the winter, we could market the winter season to them. If their favourite drink is Dewar's white label, we can have Dewar's white label in their room. If they like to shop at Trimingham's, Trimingham's can market to them.

"The list is almost endless, and it will specifically help make us much more effective in the way we cater to the individual needs of the consumers.

"I believe this will position Bermuda back again as the upmarket, caring, individual destination, and it will probably be the only one in the world." He acknowledged there would be concerns about how much information was provided on the data base which would need to be worked out in advance, as well as issues about personal privacy.

"There is always a concern about personal information and it is not intended to cause problems with that. Consumer privacy is very important, and we have to be sensitive and work through it," he said.

Mr. Winfield said information from Immigration cards, hotels, shops and credit card companies may be provided for the data base.

"We are right at the very beginning of this process and we have set ourselves objectives and we are working towards that, but it has been recognised as having great potential for Bermuda and it has created a great sense of excitement."

He said the most logical body to coordinate how the data base would work would be the public and private sector Bermuda Alliance for Tourism.

While no timetable has been set for establishing such a system, Mr. Winfield said Premier Jennifer Smith let it be known at the meeting with the hotel owners that "she does not want to let the grass grow" on the project and wants to see progress soon.