accounted for a mere three percent of the Island's total American visitors over the past few years.

However Bermuda offers cultural and historical links to African-American visitors which could encourage them to visit the Island.

Assistant tourism marketing director Pat Phillip-Bassett told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "I am hoping to see a jump in these arrival figures through the extended education the department has been offering.

"I hope to see the benefits of this over the next couple of years.

"We are advertising in African-American target publications as in previous years and we are holding public relation activities,'' she said. "This year we have emphasised our public relation activity.

"We found that there was need to educate the market about what Bermuda had to offer and what it had of specific interest to different groups.

"We have held a range of generic Press trips to introduce Bermuda as a destination to writers of target and generic publications.

"The target publication writers can put their own spin on it to highlight what their readers are interested in.'' She said the department was pushing for as much publicity as possible through this type of editorial coverage.

"This will let people know what Bermuda is all about.'' Mrs. Phillip-Bassett pointed out that there were also ads in "the generic media'' which also reached the African-American market.

Specific publications the department used included Essence, Ebony, Black Enterprise and BET Weekend while more generic forms included an array of financial publications and "shelter books'', along the style of home and garden magazines.

"What we have also done is portray African-Americans in our advertising, creating ads that reflect African-Americans as visitors.'' She said Bermuda was fortunate in that it provided cultural and historical links to African-Americans which enabled them to make a personal connection with the Island.

"The key is to present a destination and the benefits it offers. You can then add whatever specific links a market might be interested in.'' The department was looking to extend its reach into the market in time for 1998.

It was presently seeking a partner with a lot of clout that could help put tour packages together and distribute the Island's product widely.

"For next year we would like to get a high profile trade partner in North America to help us promote Bermuda more to the African-American market and help with the distribution of the product,'' she said. "We are looking at people who are familiar with dealing with Bermuda and familiar with the market. We want to meld the two.'' For the African-American market, continued Mrs. Phillip-Bassett, this included the Island's cultural, historical and entertainment aspects.

The upcoming Jazz festival, she continued, was a big entertainment product which held a lot of appeal and the department was promoting it through radio broadcasts.

Another area the department was looking to attract was group business.

Associations with African-American members also hold conferences and conventions throughout the US and Bermuda could host them, she said.