Government has been urged to re-think its maximum three-week stay policy for visitors to the Island following complaints that tourists were flatly denied extensions.

The National Liberal Party (NLP) and Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said a more visitor-friendly policy needed to be created in order to help boost tourism and to make applying for an extension easier.

Vice chairman of the NLP Graeme Outerbridge said he believed a raft of options could be introduced, which could allow tourists to stay on the Island longer, with permission from the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs.

He made the comments after two families complained separately to The Royal Gazette that their visitors had been told to leave the Island at the end of their three-week limit - without good reason.

And one man, who was visiting the Island from Australia to celebrate his resident stepfather's 80th birthday, was advised by Immigration officials to fly to New York and return the same day, enabling him to renew his three-week stay permit.

As a result, the family paid more than $900 for the airline ticket, when a simple extension could have solved the whole issue and had the same result.

Mr. Outerbridge said he was appalled when he heard the stories.

He said: “I thought it was totally ridiculous. Bermuda should have a temporary visa system in place to deal with these types of requests, which I think are reasonable.

“We should encourage people to stay as long as they want to stay. Other domiciles have these visas. We need to come up with a scheme. Anyone entering the country (on holiday) should have a month. There should be a process where if they want to extend it, they can do it right there, when they come in.”

Mr. Outerbridge said the idea of having visitors apply for an extension at the end of their three-week stay was “stupid”.

He added: “The NLP recommends that the Bermuda Government create several visitor visas of several durations that can be requested on entry to Bermuda, or can be applied for at Immigration if a need occurs during the visit.”

He said a 30-day visa should be stamped into the passport free on arrival. The next visa on request could be a three-month visa, at a fee of $50. And he said rules relevant to visitors not gaining employment while on the Island could be given at the time of application. “And finally, there could be a one-year visa, say for writers or artists that are using Bermuda as a place of creativity to complete personal work for foreign publication or showing,” added Mr. Outerbridge.

“The NLP suggests this visa should cost $100 and the person applying would be most welcome to spend a year's worth of foreign currency in Bermuda.”

He said Bermuda was small enough to track people if they were believed to have out-stayed their welcome.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said Government needed to urgently look at the situation to ensure that Bermuda was not seen as visitor unfriendly when it came to allowing extensions.

He said: “I find the situation concerning from the standpoint that here we are trying to boost tourism, yet impediments seem to be put in the way of people who wish to stay here for longer than three weeks.

“We are trying to promote tourism, but we are putting a block in the way of visitors once they come here.”

And he cited both the yachting fraternity and long-stay customers, particularly those who stay in apartments and “efficiency hotels” as being the sorts of visitors who often wanted to stay longer.

He added: “It's a concern to me that they have to go in and apply to extend their stay. It's very bureaucratic.

“I understand the need for some sort of policy because there are people who come here and disappear, but a solution needs to be found by the Government. I believe the Government needs to consult with the hotel industry as to how to better streamline the process, so if guests want to stay longer, the hotels can deal with it for them. Guests themselves should not have to be involved.”

And Mr. Outerbridge urged Minister for Labour and Home Affairs Terry Lister to “think the policy all the way through”.

Mr. Outerbridge also said comments made by Mr. Lister that a visitor staying in a hotel will be looked at more favourably when applying for an extension than someone staying with friends or relatives, was unfair.

He added: “People are spending money here no matter where they are staying, be it hotels or with families. They are spending their way here.”