“I am honored to have been appointed to the role of General Chair of the 2010 PGA Grand Slam Executive Committee,” said Mr. Tyrrell, former President of the Bermuda Football Association. “It will give me another opportunity to use my organizational skills gained in assisting with several other major events in Bermuda both sporting and social.”

Mr. Tyrrell has been on Bermuda’s Board of Trustees for public golf since 2006. It is his second stint on the board. He has a long record of volunteerism and public service on the island. Mr. Tyrrell is also an avid golfer.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transport, appointed Mr. Tyrrell General Chairman in the spring of this year. “Neville Tyrrell has had his hands in golf administration for many years,” the Premier said. “His connections with Bermuda’s business sector should promote support from that community for the Grand Slam.”

Almost 100% of the Grand Slam Executive Committee is back in place this year to outdo last year’s exceptional performance – the first time the internationally televised tournament was held at Port Royal, one of Bermuda’s public golf courses.

The Grand Slam Executive Committee is responsible for a long list of tasks including marshalling and recruiting an army of volunteers, arranging logistics for the tournament and coordinating with the PGA of America and Port Royal staffs. All of the committee work is done on a volunteer basis.

Mr. Tyrrell said: “My job as the General Chair has been made easier by the willingness of every sub-Chair from the 2009 Grand Slam coming back on-board, bringing their past experience. I am very grateful for their support in carrying out the various duties so far, ensuring that the 2010 event will be even better than 2009.”

The PGA Grand Slam features four of the best golfers from the year’s major championships – the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen have qualified for this year’s Grand Slam. The fourth qualifier will come from this weekend’s PGA Championship.

The event, to be played at Bermuda’s Port Royal Golf Course, is televised in 100 countries around the world. It takes place October 18 – 20, 2010. The Department of Tourism has used the event over the past three years to market the country as a premier golf destination.

Premier Brown said: “This is the final year of a four-year deal with the PGA. I think our relationship with the PGA is solid and we’re all working hard to make this year’s Grand Slam the most exciting of all.”

The line-up for the 15th annual festival includes Ziggy Marley, Toni Braxton, Angie Stone, and Estelle. It will be held at the Fairmont Southampton from September 30 to October 2.

Tickets go on sale July 26 and are available online at www.bdatix.bm and in Bermuda at the iStore on Reid Street in Hamilton and Fabulous Fashions at the Heron Bay Plaza.

The Premier said, “One of the keys to Bermuda’s tourism turnaround is proactive, visionary leadership among our hoteliers. The recognition that what was good enough forty years ago isn’t good enough for the modern, sophisticated traveller should compel our entire Tourism industry to keep our product renewed, revitalized and ahead of our competition.

The Reefs’ David Dodwell has shown that he is not content to rest on the laurels of his hotels’ fine reputation, but instead has looked for ways to keep his product fresh, exciting and customer driven. He is a pacesetter for hoteliers who have been slow to upgrade the product and he has demonstrated a deep understanding of his customer.”

The Reefs which has been consistently ranked in Travel & Leisure Magazine as one of the best resorts in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda region has just completed a renovation and expansion project that now incorporates fractional ownership.

Premier Brown remarked, “The fact that The Reefs have made a commitment to employing, promoting and retaining Bermudians within its staff should be noted. We often say that the best thing about Bermuda is our people and The Reefs should be praised for keeping Bermudians on the frontlines of tourism at their hotel.”

Premier Brown said, “This was a fantastic Masters…..a golfer’s dream finish. Phil Mickelson played a wonderful round and deserved to win his third Green Jacket. For Bermuda and the PGA Grand Slam, the outcome could be hugely positive considering Phil’s immense popularity. In my meetings with the PGA here in Augusta, they were very upbeat about this year’s Grand Slam and I am hopeful that we will negotiate an extension of our agreement.”

The 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf will return to the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, October 18-20, where Lucas Glover posted a five-stroke triumph over Angel Cabrera in last year’s meeting of major champions.

The development, on the site of the old Munro Beach Cottages, will include 26 two-bedroom hotel suites, a restaurant, and swimming pool. The site is adjacent to the Port Royal Golf Course.

The developer is Moongate Resorts, owned by Kevin Petty of Newstead Belmont Hills.

Munro Beach Cottages closed in July 2007.

Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport Dr. the Hon. Ewart Brown said, “We consider it an honour for Bermuda to be recognized by the readers of Scuba Diving magazine. This is also reminder to all Bermudians that we must respect and preserve our beautiful reefs and wrecks for all to enjoy.”

The survey was conducted in 2009 with over 5,000 Scuba Diving readers from all over the globe submitted their rankings.

Bermuda has over 400 historic wrecks, with some dating back to the 15th century. Popular sites include:

• The Constellation – 4-masted wooden schooner built in 1918. She sank in 1943 while en route from New York to Venezuela with a cargo that included cement, whisky, and drug ampoules. She was the inspiration for the Goliath in Peter Benchley’s novel The Deep.
• L’Herminie – French 3-masted wooden warship that sank in 1838 while sailing from France to Cuba.
• Hermes – US Navy freighter built in WWII and scuttled by the government in 1985 for use as a dive site.

Two of the best places for snorkelling in Bermuda are Church Bay in Southampton Parish and Tobacco Bay in St George’s Parish.

Tobacco Bay is shown in the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbRKQdu7S9Q

All are invited to enter for free. Categories are Families, Children: 12 years and under, Teenagers: 13 – 19 years, Open, Company/Organisation, Tourist, and Professional. The maximum team size is 6.

Entrants must build their sand sculpture within 6 hours (10 am to 4 pm) on a plot measuring 12 foot by 12 foot. Cash prizes of up to $1,000 are on offer.

To enter email sandtasticdays@bermudatourism.com.

The competition is presented by the Institute of Bermuda Architects and the Department of Tourism. Sponsors include the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Fairmont Southampton, Gibbons Company, and the iStore.

Team Sandtastic, a professional team of sand sculptures from Florida, will be showcasing their skills around the island over the Cup Match weekend. On July 27/28 they will be at St Catherine’s Beach (Gates Bay) in St George’s Parish. On the evening of July 29 they will be at Harbour Night in Hamilton, and July 29 – August 1 they will be at Horseshoe Bay.

Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best Awards poll is determined by reader input on hotels, cruises, airlines, travel companies and top cities to visit.

The Dining Room at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse opened last week. It is owned and managed by Odilio and Natalie Angeli, who also own Ristorante Primavera and the Rustico Restaurant.

The restaurant is situated on the ground floor of the restaurant in the space previously occupied by the Lighthouse Tea Room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaoBZfSK5xI

Other cost-cutting measures being undertaken by the hotel include closing 50 percent of its guest rooms until April, operating restaurants on a rotational basis until the summer season, and temporarily ceasing its free ferry service to Hamilton.