Holiday rental owners have a vital role to play in the revival of Bermuda’s tourism product as well as the island’s economy, according to Bill Hanbury.

The CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) told The Royal Gazette he had been amazed by the collaboration that already takes place within the vacation rental market.

But he acknowledged that more could still be done to help this “very important” sector become stronger.

Mr Hanbury’s comments came after the end of a packed seminar at yesterday’s Tourism Summit in which around 100 guest house and rental property owners as well as BTA representatives shared ideas on how the system could be improved.

Mr Hanbury said he hoped that a new registry of Bermuda rental properties would be online by the beginning of June, this year.

“It was a very positive session and there was a really good attitude in the room,” he added.

“These people are really important to the Bermuda tourism product and the Bermuda economy.

“Everyone realises there is an issue that needs to be addressed; there needs to be some level of oversight but it should not be heavy-handed.

“The key thing about this sector is that the profits stay in Bermuda and Bermudian families are the ones that benefit.”

He added: “With the America’s Cup coming to Bermuda we can not afford to let our vacation rentals stay in the same place.

“We need to make sure that whatever we want to do is done to a very high standard and makes the world say “they really have their act together”.

“And it’s not just hotels, it’s across the board,”

The vacation rental seminar was one of a series of “breakout sessions’ at yesterday’s Tourism Summit, which was held at the Southampton Fairmont Resort.

The summit, which was attended by hundreds of residents and stakeholders, focused on tourism plans and initiatives for the year ahead.

The BTA’s chairman, David Dodwell, pointed to the formation of the BTA and announcements of new hotel developments as signs of significant progress towards renewing confidence in the tourism industry.

But he caution that “many more steps need to be taken” to put Bermuda back in its place as a premier global tourism destination.

Mr Dodwell added: “Big future steps will include: re-establishing Bermuda as a year-round destination, increasing the number of air arrivals, building hotel occupancy, attracting smaller cruise ships for Hamilton and St George’s, plus nurturing more tourism-related businesses.

“The biggest step we still need to accomplish is assuring the creation of more family sustaining, upwardly mobile jobs for the Bermuda citizens that needs those jobs the most — the underemployed and unemployed.”