The "piggy-backing'' has prompted one hotelier to call for the Tourism Ministry to take legal action or refresh its ad campaign.

Mr. W.A. (Toppy) Cowen, managing director of Pink Beach Club, said he had noticed close similarities between ads for Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands and Aruba in the March edition of the magazine Conde Nast Traveler.

Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge has promised he will look into the matter.

The layouts of the Conde Nast ads were similar to the popular Bermuda Shorts ads and the content was along the same lines, playing on Bermuda's people, heritage and culture, rather than sun and sand.

Mr. Cowen said Aruba had compared its beaches to "the kind you see in your dreams'', while one of the Bermuda ads says, "The exactly what you've seen in your dreams beach.'' "Imitation is the best form of flattery,'' Mr. Woolridge said.

But if the Island's ad agency DDB Needham felt there had been any infringements, action would be taken, he said.

"A number of destinations are copying our ad campaign now,'' Mr. Woolridge admitted. "In most cases we can't do very much about it.

"But when Jamaica almost copied us down to a tee a few years ago we gave them a call and had it straightened out.'' Mr. Barry Brown, DDB Needham's vice-president for accounts services, said the agency was aware of people "mimicking our look.

"It's not something we appreciate.

But we've had no indication it's causing any confusion among consumers.

Despite thinking that "we're still doing it better'' than the copycats, Mr.

Brown said DDB Needham was taking steps to end any similarities, including possibly changing the look of Bermuda advertising. Mr. Cowen noted that about a year ago, Aruba had tried copying some of the Bermuda ads "with the pictures fading on the edges in a similar fashion''.

It now seemed to be making another "piggy-backing'' attempt, he said, with its new ads posing the question, "Whose Island is this anyway?'', and promoting deep sea fishing, scuba diving and other alternative activities.

"Now the previous ad agency for Bermuda, Foote Cone and Belding, also appears to be doing the same thing for the British Virgin Islands,'' Mr. Cowen said.

"A sunset picture of yachts and a family tip-toeing in the surf are again analogous...

"Perhaps DDB Needham (Bermuda's new ad agency) has allowed themselves to be copied by other agencies and we either need to advise them of the infringements or once again revitalise our ads.'' Mr. Woolridge said the theme Bermuda was using to promote the Island was growing increasingly popular among holiday destinations.

"We have very serene, soft advertisements, unlike the majority of island ads which all sell the beach with palm trees and some woman laying in a bathing suit,'' the Minister said. "What we try to sell is the culture and the people.

"But no, we don't want people copying our ads.'' STRIKING RESEMBLANCE -- Tourism officials are looking into what a local hotelier has called "piggy-backing'' attempts by overseas ad agencies to capture the look and feel of the popular Bermuda Shorts advertisements.