It is disappointing, but not surprising that the One Bermuda Alliance continues to run from their record on tourism instead of standing up and taking accountability. It is the OBA that has presided over a 49-year low on air arrivals, a loss of over 2,000 jobs, continued business closures and the doubling of the debt.

While they should be angry about their abysmal record, they instead become enraged when any Bermudian dares to point out that they have broken promises, implemented anti-Bermudian policies and failed to deliver on 2,000 jobs for Bermudians. At some point, their approach must shift from blaming the Progressive Labour Party to actually doing the job they were elected to do.

We encourage Bermudians to ask if the OBA’s approach has:

• Created a job for you, your friends and loved ones?

• Put more money in your pocket?

• Brought down the cost of basic necessities?

• Given you hope that your children will have a better future?

Simply put, is your life better under the OBA?

The PLP’s Vision for Tourism involves taking a frank, honest approach to the challenges facing that important pillar of our economy. We must recognise that the costs of getting to and staying in Bermuda are deterring many visitors from coming to our shores. It isn’t necessarily that they can’t afford the cost of a Bermuda vacation; often it is the perception that they can get more elsewhere, for less, the proverbial more bang for their buck.

When tourism is working, it creates jobs, business opportunities and an array of opportunities for Bermudians. In Bermuda’s tourism heyday, the lives of many average working Bermudians were built off tourism. Many homes were purchased, and children educated off the incomes received through bartending, front-desk reception, and housekeeping responsibilities.

The PLP is committed to revitalising tourism based on several core, philosophical beliefs:

1. Tourism works best, when Bermudians are at the forefront. While we may argue about which country has the best beaches or best nightlife, the one thing that is undeniably unique to Bermuda is our people. It is our Bermudian people that have created the atmosphere and the energy that has inspired generations of visitors to come back again and again. We must get that back.

2. Communication and collaboration. With so many Bermudians not only enthusiastic and committed to the revitalisation of tourism, but also relying on it to assist in creating jobs and opportunities; that energy and ideas must be tapped into and utilised. All stakeholders from the ownership level, the management level, workers and members of the community have a role to play and we in the PLP will demonstrate an open-door policy to ensure that every voice and every idea is heard. While we may not agree on every solution to revive tourism, we can work towards finding common ground and incorporating ideas that work.

3. Competitive marketing of our product. Our competition is spending more on getting their product out into the marketplace. Our potential clients are seeing our competitors’ ads more frequently, hearing our competitors’ names more often and learning more about what our competitors have to offer. In an environment as competitive as global tourism we will have to spend more and shout our virtues louder to be heard and reach our customers.

Furthermore, the PLP understands that fixating on the same target demographic group that we went after in the 20th century, ignores the reality that that group is shrinking, has more options and simply is not responding to our product in the numbers they used to. We must reach out to and be accommodating to a far, wider, younger and more diverse audience.

4. A diversified and “freed-up” product. The PLP’s position is that the guesthouses and smaller tourism properties are as important as the larger properties. They offer opportunities to offer an affordable, authentic Bermudian experience that will, in the long run benefit Bermuda tourism overall. While we remain committed to our larger properties and will continue to support existing properties and pursue future properties, we must place an equal emphasis on all our island’s product.

5. Accountability. At every level we must demand performance and return on investment. Every dollar spent must make sense and produce results.

We further envision opening up or “freeing up” our tourism product by encouraging entrepreneurs to explore, wherever feasible, areas of opportunity long enjoyed by our competitors but that we have been reluctant to explore in the past.

While we cannot be all things to all people, we must be prepared to be more and offer more than we are now.

We must further get all of our businesses to understand that poor customer service is a management issue; either a failure to hire the right people, a failure to properly train them to standard or a failure to effectively manage their frontline staff.

To be clear, there is no easy, overnight fix to tourism. It will take a lot of work, a lot of innovation and a lot of commitment from all of us.

The PLP have learnt from the past and after the next election we will provide Bermudians with a government that has a plan to put Bermudians first, build a more inclusive Bermuda, and where there will be opportunities for all of us to succeed and prosper.

•Jamahl Simmons is a Progressive Labour Party MP and Shadow Minister of Tourism.