Tourism Minister David Allen should seriously consider Carnival Cruise Lines' offer to bring a Dockyard cruise ship to the Island in 2003.

Historically, the Ministry of Tourism has shied away from Carnival because the "fun ships" have a reputation for carrying low spending passengers. But given the disastrous experiences Bermuda has had with its last two Dockyard ships, that policy may have to be rethought.

Each of the last two cruise ships signed up for the Dockyard call saw their parents go bankrupt, and with a glut of ships and an economic downturn in the US, it is going to be difficult for smaller cruise lines to survive. Ensuring that Bermuda has a relationship with the lines that should survive may turn out to be vital. This part of the world is very close to having only two major cruise lines as P&O Princess is on the auction block and more than likely will be bought by Carnival or the other major carrier, Royal Caribbean (RCL).

Bermuda is dangerously close to having its entire cruise industry "eggs" in the RCL basket. For that reason alone, having a competitor in the Bermuda market cannot hurt.

Equally, having a cruise line with the marketing muscle of Carnival promoting Bermuda is not a bad thing. It may pay dividends not only for Carnival, but for visitors considering staying in hotels and on other cruise ships to see the name Bermuda in advertising.

It can be argued that Bermuda already has enough cruise passengers coming to the Island and the real problem lies with air visitors. However, Dockyard visitors are unlikely to have a heavy effect on the Island's infrastructure and should boost the Royal Naval Dockyard and Somerset, which are already struggling. Based on this year's experience, Bermuda could well see a downturn in cruise passengers anyway, and something is better than nothing.