St. George's, with its surrounding fortifications, has become one of the "wonders of the world'' after taking its place among the elite as a World Heritage Site.

The old town was rejoicing yesterday after getting word that its bid to join other cultural sites around the world on the United Nations "cre nme de la cre nme'' list had been a success.

It could mean a tourism boom for the town and Island and a chance for grants from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to help preserve its archaeological heritage.

St. George's now rubs shoulders on the list with famous places around the world, such as the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.

Louis Mowbray, chairman of the St. George's Foundation, said: "We are over the moon that the town has been recognised and honoured in this way.

"World Heritage designation will make a huge difference to our efforts to revitalise the town and put it on the map as a destination for cultural tourists from all over the world.'' Mayor of St. George's Henry Hayward called the inscription of the East End town as a World Heritage Site one of the most significant events to happen for the Island's tourism industry in years.

He told The Royal Gazette after receiving the good news yesterday morning -- and in between a deluge of phone calls offering congratulations -- that he was "extremely pleased and relieved'' with the outcome.

"Now we have the inscription, there will be heavy discussion about how we can use it to promote not only St. George's and the surrounding historical area but all of Bermuda to potential visitors overseas,'' he noted.

Mr. Hayward said: "I think the significance of the inscription is that it puts St. George's in the limelight in Bermuda and the rest of the Island will earn significance in the rest of the world by getting this inscription from UNESCO.

Old Town becomes a `wonder of the world' "Bermuda will become a World Heritage Island and from the tourism aspect the Eastern seaboard is so close that hopefully we'll catch the eye of the millions of potential visitors there and peak their interest in coming here to visit.

"I think that on the tourism front this is one of the most significant events to happen in years.'' The application received the backing of Premier Jennifer Smith and the UK Government -- as one of two sites outside the UK which had British support.

It culminated in the news from Cairns, Australia yesterday, where the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was holding its annual meeting, that Bermuda had made the grade.

St. George's now joins 630 sites around the world chosen for their cultural, natural and mixed heritage. The town, with its many old buildings and forts, falls into the cultural category. It earned the status for four centuries of Bermudian architecture, a complete range of British coastal forts and being the oldest continuously inhabited town of English origin in the western hemisphere.

Mr. Mowbray added: "I would like to express appreciation to everyone who has worked so hard for nearly two years to get our message out, put our plan in place and bring St. George's and Bermuda to global prominence.

"We now have the challenge of maintaining and improving the town, and its fortifications, so that it will retain its character and charm in the years ahead.'' "This is the culmination of two years of work by a lot of dedicated people and organisations who have supported this,'' noted Mr. Hayward. The status, based on the experiences of other selected sites, will likely lead to a tourism boom, particularly in the areas of history and culture.

Locations in Canada and Sweden both reported surges in media interest and more tourists at all times of the year.

As part of the recognition, St. George's had to come up with an extensive management plan, detailing how they would look after the resources, address development pressure, control traffic and improve understanding of the historical areas. As part of being a World Heritage Site, countries are encouraged to sign a convention to ensure protection of resources and set up reporting systems on the conservation of the site.

In addition, the town will be able to apply for funding to help preserve buildings and request assistance for technical training to help look after sites.

Mr. Hayward added that he did not expect his role as Mayor to change, besides getting far busier, following the inscription. But one new focus would revolve around how to celebrate the achievement, he noted.

"There is no such thing as a presentation from a UNESCO person,'' he said, "but we will get some documentation with the inscription so the Corporation, Foundation and other groups will have to sit down and plan how we celebrate this in the New Year.

"Our immediate thoughts are to have November 30 as World Heritage Day for St.

George's. This would fit nicely with the National Trust Christmas Walk on the first Friday of December and the Christmas Festival we are starting in St.

George's this year.'' Photos by David Skinner Hall of fame! A different view of the historic St. George's Town Hall -- pictured through the stocks in the town square.

What a shot! The cannon makes for a dominant St. George's landmark.

View to a thrill: The picturesque waterside setting of the old town.