A multi-million dollar Department of Tourism contract awarded without tender to US advertising firm GlobalHue in 2009 will run out at the end of March.And Shadow Tourism Minister Cole Simons has called on Government to stick to its Throne Speech pledge and ensure it invites bids for the account this time around.“Bermuda's tourism advertising account should be put out to tender as one way to re-boot the Island's image and presence in the marketplace,” he said.“Inviting advertising agencies to bid to win the blue chip contract can help generate ideas and energy in the promotion of Bermuda to the travelling public.”GlobalHue was given the two-year $28 million contract in April 2009, when an earlier contract it had with the Department of Tourism was extended.The rollover was approved soon after former Auditor General Larry Dennis criticised Tourism's relationship with the American firm in a special February 2009 report.In July last year, the House of Assembly's cross-party Public Accounts Committee concluded that GlobalHue got its contract with Tourism without an open tender process, in a clear breach of Government's own financial rules.Complaints about the deal and about the way other large public contracts were awarded prompted Paula Cox as soon as she became Premier in November to promise stricter protocols under a new Procurement Office.She pledged contracts would only be handed out through a consistent and fair bidding process and Ministries would have to obtain best value for money.Opposition MP Mr Simons said a much better job could be done of selling the Island and now was the “perfect time” for Tourism to begin inviting bids for the advertising account.He claimed: “The Bermuda brand has virtually disappeared from key markets that long sustained the Island's tourism industry.“It is our observation that potential customers in these traditional markets no longer think of Bermuda as a vacation destination. We need Bermuda positioned so that people know who we are, where we are, what we stand for and that we're open for business.”Mr Simons told The Royal Gazette his “grave concerns” were reinforced on a recent visit to London when he saw an advert for Barbados on prime-time television.He questioned why UK celebrities were often photographed on vacation in the Caribbean but rarely here.“For Prince William's honeymoon, a possible option is Mustique,” he said. “It's brand identity.”The UBP politician insisted the Island needed a new campaign to rebuild its image and increase visitor numbers.“We need energy in the marketplace. It is our view that we don't have that now. We recognise that restoring tourism is a complex challenge, involving many parts and players, but there is no avoiding the fact that we must have a stronger presence in core markets.“We are not calling for an increased tourism budget. Relative to our competitors we have more than enough money. We just have to get smart and stay disciplined to make our budget work better for us.”New Tourism Minister Patrice Minors said in November she would review all the contracts the Department has with private companies. It wasn't possible to get a comment from the Department of Tourism, the Ministry of Finance or GlobalHue.