Next year’s sailings on the MS Veendam run from May 1 until October 9. The ship will spend one day in St George and two nights in Hamilton.

Cruise fares begin at $699 per person plus taxes, double occupancy.

Director of Tourism Mr. William Griffith said, “Having the St. George’s Foundation manage the visitor information services in St. George’s guarantees that our visitors have a first class information experience.”

To serve the visitor better and have the VIC’s run more efficiently, there will be two Visitor Information Centre locations in St. George’s. The primary location will be The World Heritage Centre, and an additional satellite location at the Deliverance replica on Ordnance Island. Both locations will be open 10:00 am – 4:00 pm daily.

In addition to changes in the VIC operations, there will also be additional activities planned for visitors. After extensive research in North America through a series of Focus Groups, market research indicated that visitors in general are looking for more Historical and Cultural activities to see and do while on a vacation. To satisfy this need of the traveller the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Corporation of St. George’s, the St. George’s Foundation and the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce will be providing additional cultural activities in St. George’s.

Beginning April 1, history will come to life with a series of walking tours that travel the path of the Blockade Runners, explore the quaint streets of the historic town and showcases Bermuda’s artists trail and unique architectural history.

Starting April 12, visitors can see the historical ducking every day except Friday and Sunday. This entertaining, light-hearted re-enactment will be followed by lively Bermudian entertainment that will keep the energy and excitement up in King’s Square. April 27, visitors can explore the hidden treasures of St. George’s while experiencing great local entertainment and an assortment of local products at the St. George’s Market Nights.

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

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

The Carriage House Restaurant & Bar is the latest victim of the economic slowdown affecting the historic town.

In 2010 only one cruise ship, the Veendam, will call at St George. It will only spend one night there and, and as announced last month, will anchor at sea rather than dock.

Disabled access ramps will be set up at Clearwater Beach in St George’s Parish, Somerset Long Bay in Sandys Parish, and a third, yet to be named beach.

The announcement was made last week by Derrick Burgess, Minister of Works and Engineering.

He said, ‘Our wheelchair users will now be able to reach the beach without the difficulty normally associated with moving through heavy sand.’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm4vMjyH1gg

The Queen will make official visits to the historic town of St George as well as the Royal Naval Dockyard. A Church Service at the Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton will see some lucky residents who submitted their names as part of a lottery, join a host of dignitaries at the historical service. Her Majesty will also attend an official dinner given by the Premier and Government of Bermuda.

The route of the Royal motorcade as it travels around the Island has been designed so that members of the public, school children and various youth groups will be able to meet or catch a glimpse of the Royal Party.

Government House said today that Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary David Miliband when their flight arrives in Bermuda on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 November, 2009. Her Majesty will be met by the Governor and Lady Gozney and the Governor will then present the Premier and Mrs Henton Brown to the Queen.

The Royal motorcade will leave the airport and arrive in St George at 3.20 pm. Her Majesty will be met by the Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment, Lt. Col. Gonsalves and Mrs. Gonsalves. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will receive a Royal Salute from a Guard of Honour of the Bermuda Regiment. The Chief Justice, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Assembly and local Members of Parliament and their spouses will head the list of dignitaries on hand to meet Her Majesty and His Royal Highness.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will proceed to the Town Hall where they will be introduced to the Mayor of St. George’s Mariea Caisey; St George’s Alderman, Kenneth Bascome; Vicar of St Peter’s Anglican Church, Rev David Raths; Town Crier, David Frith and Chairman of the St George’s Foundation, Kenneth Snaith.

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

Girl Guides and Brownie troupes, school children from east end schools and seniors together with some of those who re-enacted the Sea Venture landing in 1609, will join members of the public that are expected to gather along the sidewalks from King’s Square to Ordnance Island to see the Royal couple.

In the event of inclement weather, the Royal Party will visit the World Heritage Centre, via King’s Square, and will meet the various dignitaries inside the Centre. Opportunities to meet school children and other groups will be available as can be accommodated. The Royal motorcade will then travel to Government House, departing St George via Water Street. The Queen will hold a reception for invited guests at Government House.

On Wednesday, November 25 2009, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh will present Duke of Edinburgh Awards to Bermuda’s Gold winners and a few others at Government House. The Royal party will then travel to the Anglican Cathedral for a 10.30 am service celebrating Bermuda’s 400th Anniversary. The service will be attended by leaders of Christian denominations and other faiths. The arrival of the Royal Party and the church service will be covered by live television on ZBM and on CITV – the Government television station. In addition, monitors will be erected outside the church for the viewing convenience of the general public gathered outside the Cathedral.

Following the church service, the Royal party will head to Albouy’s Point at approximately 11.20 am where they will board a ferry to Dockyard. On their 11.40 am arrival in Dockyard, they will be met by Minister of Energy and Telecommunications, the Hon. Michael Scott, JP, MP; seniors, children from west end schools and members of the public. Here, the Royal Party will separate briefly, with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and Foreign Secretary David Miliband paying a visit to the sloop, the Spirit of Bermuda and Her Majesty being met by the Hon. Walter Lister, JP, for a tour of the Clocktower building.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNtovSb6uDc

At the Spirit of Bermuda, Captain Simon Colley will be with about thirteen 16-year-old girls from Bermuda Institute who will be sailing that week as sail trainees. Mr. Walter Lister who serves as Chair of the West End Development Corporation will introduce members of his board; area MPs the Hon. Terry Lister, JP, MP, and Hon. Dennis Lister, JP, MP as well as the Deputy Chairman of St. John Ambulance.

Inside the Clocktower building, Her Majesty will watch Sandy’s Middle School children perform a short selection on Dockyard history before meeting some of the apprentices who were training when the Royal Navy facility closed in 1950/51 and who finished their training in Portsmouth. She will also see costumes depicting a traditional Bermuda wedding and a cedar carving demonstration will be conducted by Dr David Saul. Before departing the Clocktower building at 12.25 pm, Her Majesty will unveil a plaque by Mr Lister.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will then be driven to the Maritime Museum for lunch with Dr. Edward Harris and invited guests. An Honour Guard by the Bermuda Sea Cadets will greet their arrival. At the conclusion of the Maritime Museum visit, Her Majesty will inaugurate the mural of Bermuda’s history by local artist Mr Graham Foster. The Royal Party will proceed back to Government House via car.

Also on Wednesday November 25 2009, Foreign Secretary David Miliband will meet Dr Tony Knapp when he visits the Bermuda Institute of Oceanic Sciences.

On Wednesday evening, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will attend a formal dinner at Tucker’s Point, hosted by the Premier and Mrs Henton Brown.

In keeping with tradition that saw Her Majesty plant trees on Government House grounds during Bermuda visits in 1953, 1975 and 1994, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will plant two Royal Palm trees at Government House grounds before they depart Bermuda, 11.30 am Thursday November 26 2009.

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.

Admission is $15 ($5 for children aged 5 – 12, free for children under 5 and senior citizens with ID) and tickets are available on the door.

There will be a special seating section for tourists with guides offering an insight into the game.

Previously the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) at the airport had been staffed. However from April 1 2009, new arrivals will only be able to collect brochures, maps, and other printed material.

Manned tourist offices are available in St George, Hamilton, and Royal Naval Dockyard.

The replica of the famous ship in St George had fallen into disrepair in recent years but was saved from demolition by the St George’s Foundation, aided by a $300,000 grant from the Bank of Bermuda Foundation.

Once the work is complete, visitors will be able take tours of the vessel and view multi-media presentations illustrating its history.