When he left, the former Tourism Minister stripped the walls of his Ministry office of his personal effects.

Now the office is still mainly bare, except for one wall where a four-sectioned piece of Vietnamese art hangs. It depicts a flock of birds in a mosaic of tiny eggshell fragments.

The solitary piece of art work is a testament to the wealth of travel experience the office's new occupant possesses and the little time he has had to decorate.

The new Tourism Minister is known to be passionate about tourism and Bermudians. And after 13 years in the Shadow Cabinet he has finally taken the wheel of, arguably, the Country's most important industry.

When Tourism Minister David Allen stood on the other side of the political divide, his passion made him a fierce opponent, critic and sometime supporter of the then-Government's proposals regarding tourism policy.

Now as Minister he is ready to lead Government's charge into the battle to rebuild tourism and is willing to call in private sector forces to help that cause.

"This Government's fate rests on how it does with tourism. This Government wants to play a leading role but not in exchange for the prominent roles played by the private sector,'' he told The Royal Gazette .

"We want it to be a cooperative venture. That is not to say we are shirking our duty. The buck really ends at this desk but I am not frightened at that prospect. I will not pass this job onto somebody else. It is a challenge and I am willing to take the responsibility for it and be accountable to it.

"We now have the driver's wheel in our hands. We have to prove the people's faith has been well placed and deserved and nowhere is this more so than in tourism.'' Mr. Allen has not wasted a moment getting started on what the PLP calls its "Rescue Mission for Tourism''.

"It's really been a hectic, hectic week,'' noted Mr. Allen.

Mr. Allen was unable to get into his new office until he was sworn in the day after the election. There he was met by Tourism Director Gary Phillips who gave him a full briefing over the public holiday.

An invitation to the World Travel Market in London came the following day and Mr. Allen began packing his bags.

"I thought it was important to show there were quick reflexes in tourism and a desire to get the job done. I wanted to let the world know that Bermuda will be aggressively promoting its tourism product.'' The trip gave Mr. Allen the chance to meet the world's assembled travel press, airline and cruise line representatives, suppliers and travel agents in one spot.

"It was like one-stop shopping for us,'' he recalled.

It also allowed Mr. Allen the opportunity to meet with the London branch of Bermuda Tourism, the organisers of the Tall Ship 2000 race, members of the Caribbean Hotel Association and members of the UK Guild of Travel Writers.

Then it was back to Bermuda where it was time to start fulfilling the PLP's commitment to create an action plan for tourism within 100 days of its election victory.

The first priority is to get the National Tourism Action Group -- essentially a restructured Tourism Board -- up and running, said Mr. Allen.

The PLP's answer to the former Government's idea of a Bermuda Tourism Authority will provide the same benefits without the attached concerns, stressed Mr. Allen.

"We will get the same benefits envisioned of the BTA but what concerned me and the party was that the Ministry was being gutted and that there was a lack of accountability to Parliament and, therefore, to the people of Bermuda.

"We think it is important that the department maintain its regulatory role but the Board will be particularly important. It will also be responsible to the Minister and, therefore, Parliament and, therefore, the people.'' The group's key roles will be product enhancement and development and marketing development and advertising, said Mr. Allen, noting that members of the group had already been chosen while others were being approached.

"I am impressed with the talent that will be on the Board already,'' he said.

"It will be the best Board ever.'' Some members of the previous board have been asked to consider reappointment to the new entity but Mr. Allen stressed that carry-overs would make up a small portion of the new group.

The Board will be "very inclusive'', he promised. "It will cover the full spectrum of the community and be a dynamic and imaginative board.

And Mr. Allen said: "It will also work in cooperation with the full-time Ministry staff.'' The Tourism Department will also be embarking on a two-month exercise during which it will review the agencies it deals with presently, especially in the field of advertising, and establish new contracts.

"It will be a case of appoint, re-appoint or disappoint,'' said Mr. Allen, noting that half of the department's Budget was spent in this area which, in turn, impacted on everything else the Department did.

MINISTER IN MOTION -- Tourism Minister David Allen (left) met noted novelist and former politician Lord Jeffrey Archer (centre) during his whirlwind tour of London last weekend at a formal banquet hosted by the Guild of British Travel Writers. At right is the guild's chairman Gary Buchanan who was the keynote speaker at the event.