The Bermuda Tourism board has joined forces with the Visitor Industry Partnership (VIP) to bring back three tourism initiatives to promote the Island’s hospitality industry.

In making the announcement, Board Chairman David Dodwell said: “There is no more critical responsibility than to get tourism fully into the hearts and minds of all Bermudians and residents.”

The three initiatives started off with the recent VIP Excellence Awards held last weekend to recognise professionals in the industry for outstanding service in various categories. The programme culminated with a gala banquet on April 13.

The second initiative is the Sunshine Awards, which recognises Bermudians who “go above and beyond to make a guest’s stay memorable by passing along ‘a little ray of sunshine’. Visitors can nominate any local for recognition, and by doing so they become eligible for a free hotel stay in Bermuda.

The “Take Bermuda With You” Campaign is the third initiative with wallet-sized cards featuring travel-related information about Bermuda that are available in the departure lounges at the airport.

The cards display Bermuda’s location with a list of the airlines and cruise ships that service the island.

Mr Dodwell noted that the Tourism Board endorses the work of the VIP and intends to carry forward with its support into the future.

VIP Chair, Dr Barbara O’Shaughnessy said: “We believe that improving the excellence of our visitor industry “indivisible from the well-being of Bermuda”.

She added: “These programmes are designed to inspire the people of Bermuda to work together and make a commitment to revitalise the visitor industry to be globally competitive.”

For more information go to www.vip.bm