A policy restricting cruise visitors solely to one-day bus passes out of Dockyard has been poorly received, according to industry sources who describe the new scheme as unworkable.

With the cruise ship season now under way, large numbers of tourists have left the Visitor Information Centre “frustrated” at being denied options.

Wednesday proved trying for staff at the centre, and the return of the Norwegian Breakaway on April 27, coinciding with the Summit the next day, stands to bring 6,500 guests to the West End.

However, staff at the official centre are said to be under orders from the transport ministry only to sell $19 day passes to visitors, even though regular $4.50 tokens are sold nearby at the Bermuda Craft Market.

Sources contacted this newspaper after The Royal Gazette yesterday reported the new policy, which a ministry spokesman said was aimed at “levelling the playing field” for minibus and taxi drivers, as well as reducing pressure on public transportation.

One ascribed the move to “an inability to manage the transport system”.

“At this point we are just a few days into the cruise ship season, and already hundreds of people have left the Visitor Information Centre frustrated.”

Visitors can pay $5 cash to board buses and ferries, or $7 per person for a one-way minibus ticket to Horseshoe Bay Beach, but are denied two- and three-day passes.

Meanwhile, the ferry service from Dockyard to St George’s is not yet in service.

Sources close to the industry who spoke with this newspaper said the restrictive policy had also angered the Bermuda Tourism Authority, which was taking flak.

The news came as the BTA yesterday announced that cruise ships could bring up to 20,000 people to the island between April 11 and April 18.

The Breakawayis not the only giant soon to call on Bermuda: the Anthem of the Seas, which also has a top passenger capacity of 4,300, is set to arrive in Dockyard on May 2.

“People in Dockyard are saying it’s not going over very well,” said Rick Olson, who operates a concession at Horseshoe Beach — a major stop-off for West End visitors.

“I’m very concerned about it. We go through the same thing every year. If we have thousands of people coming into Dockyard, we can’t move them all with minibuses; it’s just not going to work. We haven’t even got busy yet, but when the season does pick up it will be a real challenge.”

Buses from Dockyard are limited, according to the ministry, with a spokesman saying they were “only departing at half-hour intervals”.

But the rationale of using the policy to steer visitors towards the private sector was branded “discriminatory” by visitors commenting online on yesterday’s article. Criticism has spread to social media sites used by tourists, readers said.

“This strategy will not work,” wrote one. “It will only anger the cruise ship tourists like myself. When I visit for my overnight cruise stay in May I will buy two one-day passes, use the public transportation (ferries and buses), be slightly irritated about the few dollars extra I had to spend, refuse to spend my money on a taxi or tour, and be very angry that I am being discriminated against because I am a cruise tourist. It will cloud my impression of your country and may negatively influence any return trip I may take and how I spend my money.”