Welcome again to the Chairman’s corner. We will be publishing these updates on a regular basis as part of our effort to share and involve everyone in the development of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. Success in tourism affects us all, and that success is dependent on us all.

So, now that the Authority is law, where are we going with tourism and who stands to benefit? These were questions recently asked in the Senate and they are good questions that deserve considered answers.

We recognise that tourism needs a boost; the air arrivals and the number of people staying in our hotels has declined significantly over the last decade. This has meant that there is less being earned from tourism overall, less jobs in the industry and less revenue being spread around to all those that have some form of relationship with the tourism industry.

There are many reasons for this but our focus now is on the future. We MUST make changes and we MUST do things differently if we expect to get different results.

In October 2011, the Government commissioned the National Tourism Plan. The approved plan, with the exception of the governance model, is the blueprint for the Bermuda Tourism Authority. Some of the key points that the plan says are as follows:

* Investment — Our tourism product is suffering. We need NEW investors, NEW hotels and NEW infrastructure and we need to see the physical product that is already here, improved and updated to the standards that today’s traveller expects. The Tourism Authority will create a new division devoted to bringing investment to Bermuda for new build and improvement to the existing infrastructure.

* Product and Experiences — We have to be competitive with an improved product and we have to offer experiences that makes us memorable as a destination.

* Sales & Marketing — We will focus on what is going to bring tourists to Bermuda, what is going to enhance the experience of guests when here and what is going to bring Bermuda to the attention of our target audience. Bermuda Department of Tourism and the Tourism Board had to subsidise hotels through special promotional offers. This cannot be the long term role of the Authority. Our sales and marketing efforts will be focused on raising awareness of, and demand for, Bermuda. And our tourism infrastructure has to offer a product that is competitive and does not need continual subsidisations

As we move forward, we will be rolling out more information and encouraging more conversation.

Our ultimate goal is that MORE Bermudians benefit from tourism through MORE jobs and MORE opportunity. We are heading in a direction that has Bermuda re-emerging as a world leader in tourism and where Bermuda is again a sought after and aspirational destination.

Join us on that journey!