A record 195 million North Americans received tourism's message last year according to Bermuda's New York public relations agency.

This is up 114 percent increase since 1993.

Vice president of Bermuda's New York public relations firm Porter/Novelli Ms Paula Butler claimed the firm's success was "a tribute to Bermuda's uniqueness''.

The figures were particularly good in light of the fierce competition for editorial coverage from other destinations.

Ms Butler also praised the Tourism Department's dedication to a sustained North American public relations effort over the past ten years.

Lately Tourism has eschewed the old "sun and sea'' message in favour of targeting consumers with special interests such as sailing, golf, cricket, history, culture and art.

"The strategy that we have used with so much success of the past five years is to focus not only on travel publications but on publications and writers that reach consumers with special interests,'' Ms Butler said.

The agency has used coverage in major newspapers, magazines, television and radio to reach out to viewers and readers in the United States and Canada.

Topics that generated the most coverage last year included the Temperature Guarantee Scheme, value programmes describing savings value on cultural and historic attractions, golf week for professional and amateur players from January to March and Bermuda as a romantic getaway.

Ms Butler said a value campaign emphasised the wide range of accommodation in Bermuda to appeal to a broader base of holiday makers.

Last year the Merrill Lynch golf tournament and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club's 150th anniversary were especially useful in promoting the Island to golfers and sailors.

"We piggy backed on that to get the message out,'' she said. A huge drawing point is the Temperature Guarantee Scheme, now in its third year and which has prompted other destinations to follow Bermuda's example, she said.

And an increased number of calls to Bermuda's 1-800 number could be attributed to prominence given to the Island as backdrop to a bevy of stunning super models in February's edition of Sports Illustrated.

This year, the firm will be homing in on a different topic each month to appeal to general and specialist markets.

In April the focus will be on Bermuda's gardens with special features in gardening magazines. May's theme is Bermuda's colours.

Golf, shopping, scuba diving and a history month celebrating Dockyard's 200th anniversary will also be featured during the year.

The aim is to get away from a seasonal approach with different campaigns for high and low seasons, Ms Butler said. Instead, the thematic approach is to stimulate interest in Bermuda throughout the year.

Yesterday Tourism Director Mr. Gary Philips emphasised the importance of promoting the Island through public relations.

"No one thing works in isolation,'' he said. "PR has a longer shelf life than advertising. People are likely to be exposed to it over a substantial period of time. It is part of an integrated marketing strategy.'' Most influential is word of mouth, he said. After that, the cumulative effect of multiple impressions gleaned from TV advertisements, articles in newspapers and magazines and travel agents is what finally prompts people to come.