Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell last night called for two controversial tourism advertisements to be dropped.

He said the commercials, which compare Bermuda to Scotland and Venice, could jeopardise the good work being done in Europe to attract more Italians to the Island.

Mr. Dodwell said his earlier concerns about the ads, which slam Scotland for its rainy weather, draughty accommodations and Venice for its smelly canals and "unpredictable lira'', have been borne out.

The radio and newspaper ads -- currently running in North America -- have provoked angry Italians in America to call their own tourism bureau to complain and even the Bermuda Tourism office has received calls criticising the commercials.

Last night, Mr. Dodwell said: "We should drop them or at the very least review them. If this continues we ought to be big enough and step back and not use them anymore.

"Bermuda doesn't need to compare itself to anywhere else. We have got to stand on our own two feet from a product and marketing standpoint.

"We have made major inroads into Italy and the UK; we are jeopardising that.

I am extremely concerned that we could damage the investment we are making there.'' Previously, Tourism Minister David Allen defended the ads, saying they were tongue in cheek -- adding that calls in the US about Bermuda holidays had risen dramatically since the campaign started.

He added that he believed Italians and Scots had a sense of humour over such things.

But Mr. Dodwell warned that although they may see the funny side, they could also be offended -- which could cause substantial damage to Bermuda tourism.

"Imagine if this was done to us,'' he said. "How do you think Bermudians would react?'' And Mr. Dodwell hit out at Mr. Allen for repeating what he himself had said three years ago, about getting away from Bermuda's stuffy image, when launching the "Let Yourself Go'' campaign.

"That is a little ironic,'' said Mr. Dodwell, who was criticised by Mr. Allen at the time for the ads.