Dear Sir,

Just want to take a moment to awaken you good people to the fact that you are the owners of the gem of the Atlantic.

Each year my wife and I visit your lovely country from Virginia and we cherish each day and hour we are there. You welcome us with enthusiasm and stand ready to ensure that our visit is better than the last.

We stay at the Hamilton Princess and dine at many of the fantastic restaurants and shop the many fine stores in Hamilton, we visit the Dockyard for a wonderful day at the shops and a delightful lunch at the Frog and Onion. We visit the Southampton area to purchase gifts at the Turtle Hill golf shop and to enjoy dinner at the Waterlot Inn. At each of these areas, you treat us as if we are a personal friend.

I am also writing this letter to offer a suggestion. Every morning I read the online version of The Royal Gazette and more often than not I see articles that address the issue of your economy. Some articles opine that it needs to be more global; some want it to be even more Bermuda-oriented. Both of these are well presented, but the one thing I would stress is that you need to capture and expand what you have a plethora of — and that is the beauty, friendliness and allurement of Bermuda.

You are blessed, however, some may say cursed, with not having the year-round tropical weather of your southern, neighbour islands. There is, however, a wealth of things to do during the “winter months”. Sixty degrees sure beats 20F and you are so close to the East Coast of the United States. So get going and build that new airport, focus on bringing in more upscale cruise lines and get tourists there who will spend the time and money in the many wonderful stores and restaurants.

Yes, my wife, Dottie, and I are addicted to Bermuda and we want others to be also. To all our good friends at the HP — Gayvonne, Lee, Ricky, David, Allan, Betty, Carvelle — and my special friend the “Christ Church Fighting Seahorse”, we look forward to seeing you all in June.

Also to all the wonderful people of Bermuda, thanks for being what you are: special.

KEITH ADAMS

Virginia