overseas trip to an annual travel agents conference in Spain would cost this year -- after claims that Government spent $500,000 on a previous event.

Shadow Minister David Dodwell said he had been told that two years' ago Government spent half a million dollars on a five-day trip to the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) conference.

This year, Mr. Allen will be going to Seville in Spain for the same marketing event, but Mr. Dodwell said there was no need for Government to be spending so much money in a bid to promote Bermuda.

He said: "I challenge the Minister to tell us what the budget is for that one trip.

"We could better spend that money trying to bring travel agents here, or spend the money better educating people on the Island.

"We have been told that half a million dollars was spent on ASTA -- on that one event for five days, so the minister could run around some castle for a few days with Gombeys.'' And he challenged Mr. Allen to compare his travel expenses so far with that of the UBP for the same length of time.

However, Mr. Allen said people were naive if they thought tourists and investors "were beating a path to Bermuda's door''.

And he said he had already seen people come to the Island, including major investors, because of his overseas trips.

Mr. Allen said a trip that may cost a few hundred thousand dollars, may yield millions for the Island.

He said Government simply had to go out and get people to come to Bermuda.

"If we had not travelled overseas, the opposition would be the first to say we had not been pro-active. The opposition would be the first to say we were asleep at the wheel,'' he said.

"We are putting Bermuda on the map and we are getting results.

However, the minister failed to reveal to the House what the budget would be for the autumn trip to Spain.