April 15, 2014

Dear Sir,

Over the recent years, changing hasn’t really helped the tourism industry much (and closing down Dolphin Quest because of captured dolphins after 20 years, won’t help it either). We’re talking about the following:

1. Bermuda used to have a Trimingham’s, a Smith’s, a Store or Reliability, a Archie Brown & Son, a popular Pirate’s Port and many other shops about.

Charles Kirk “killed” English Sports Shop somewhat and some other brands, never even made it to Bermuda’s shores (what’s on the shelves still, aren’t as popular as the Fair Isle cardigans, vintage braemar, and Scottish lambs wool vee neck you might find in most European countries for women unfortunately).

They might have William Lockie luxury ones which aren’t cheap but, that’s about it (none of the vintage looking ones, that Smith’s once sold).

2. Bermuda unfortunately had a Mall that always closed up at 5pm (regardless of day and sadly today’s one, isn’t any better in terms of time it closes either).

3. Bermuda still has Harbour Nights (but look at when they finish up).

4. Bermuda barely has anything for tourists to buy (no more vintage Shetland cardigans from the United Kingdom everything seems American these days).

5. Bermuda barely has any place for a tourist to go (unless they go to the popular beaches by day).

6. Bermuda barely has anything at night (nightclubs have been threatened with bullets flying about and, although Shawn Crockwell would love the idea of casinos, how many are going to want to be stuck up in them every night?). What if those tourists wanted to go to an amusement park? (Bermuda doesn’t have any of them).

7. Although Bermuda has the annual Agricultural Exhibition every year, the attractions haven’t been how it was years back (lack of money to pay for such cool events).

8. Tourists might go to Cup Match (but question these days is how many?).

9. Removing Dolphin Quest is not going to save this country, but rather cripple what’s left of it (if it still excites people, why shut it down just because there’s captured dolphins there? Most countries in the world have captured fish in their aquariums, and captured animals in their zoos — so you’re saying that’s suddenly a problem? Why?).

10. Bermudians are the reason Trimingham’s closed but, that’s another story altogether as Smith’s cashmere cardigans, were $125.00 each back then too.

People, ought to be trying to save what’s left of the island for the tourists than tear it down even, if they have to have more sales in stores (and bring back the vintage please for the middle-aged women/’oldie-goldie’ ones as well).

ANONYMOUS