Tourism chiefs have hit back at claims by a trade union leader that the industry does not do enough on overseas marketing or to provide night-time entertainment.

But they admitted that they could do more to let visitors know about the live entertainment and events that are put on.

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess said last week that hotel guests in particular were unsatisfied with night-time entertainment, and were getting their money?s worth only ?to a point?, while cruise ship passengers were better catered to.

Recalling the 1970s and 1980s when ?local acts went hotel to hotel?, Mr. Burgess said Bermuda?s visitors ? and in turn the tourism industry ? would benefit from a wider array of night-time activities.

Mr. Burgess, a former hotel worker, said some union members had been laid off when hotel occupancies fell below 70 percent this month and he called on the properties to increase their overseas marketing to redress the problem.

He said Government could not fix the problem, since the Tourism Ministry already had what he felt was an adequate budget for advertising and marketing.

This year that budget included four pilot events ? the Flatts Village Festival, Admirals Feast, Tony and Tina?s Wedding, and Gombey Carnival Beach Fete. The Ministry of Tourism announced yesterday that the producers of these events, Paradigm Productions, has terminated its services.

The only event that will continue into October as originally scheduled will be Tony and Tina?s Wedding ? with its new producers, Yoshi Productions. The Flatts event wrapped up in September as scheduled.

Tourism Director Cherie Whitter told that the pilot programme was a success and that the Department of Tourism is looking for a ?bigger and better? season next year. It is open to ideas for next year, she said. The decision of Paradigm Productions to withdraw from the less popular Admiral?s Feast and Gombey Carnival Beach Fete was a business decision, said Mrs. Whitter, as was the decision of Yoshi Productions to take on the successful Tony and Tina?s Wedding.

Instead, Mr. Burgess said, Bermuda?s hotels could spend more money than they do, especially on marketing abroad, and cited the Bahamas as an example where hotels have done this.

But Mike Winfield, president of the Bermuda Hotel Association and co-chairman of the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism, said he was disappointed Mr. Burgess had not discussed the situation with him first before going public ?so that we could have given him the facts?.

?Many of Bermuda?s hotels have nightly entertainment and are spending hundreds of thousands on that entertainment, and Bermuda?s hotels collectively are spending millions on advertising and promotion,? he said.

?He referred to the Bahamas, and I believe he was meaning the Bahamas promotional board which is a joint partnership between Government and the private sector where investments in promotion are made.

?I would refer Mr. Burgess to the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism (BAT) which is a company owned 50 percent by Government and 50 percent by the private sector, both contributing as per their percentage ownership and to the committees ? which include the sales and marketing committee, the product committee and the airline committee ? all of which are working to achieve a turnaround in tourism.?

And BAT executive director Wayne Smith said not enough was done to promote local entertainment, including events that have traditionally been seen as ?purely local?.

Mr. Smith cited this summer?s sound clash, featuring David Rodigan, as an event that tourists expressed an interest in, but that few knew about.

He said that local events such as reggae concerts may well appeal to visitors as well.

Mr. Smith disagreed with Mr. Burgess? claim that cruise passengers were better catered to than hotel guests, saying only that there is ?room for improvement? in the entire entertainment industry and how it is marketed to tourists.

Mr. Smith said BAT is working with the Implementation Task Force which was created after Stuart Hayward?s hard-hitting report on the entertainment sector was released this year.

The task force is largely concerned with developing marketing that would make tourists aware of all available events in Bermuda. It is also trying to find more local entertainers and to create more venues.

Diane Gordon, Bermuda Chamber of Commerce executive vice president, also disagreed with Mr. Burgess over how hotel guests and cruise passengers were treated.

She said hotel guests made up a large proportion of the patrons of Destination Dockyard ? which was set up to cater to visitors and to provide more night-time activities ? although it had been started at the prompting of the cruise lines.

She said she was ?disappointed? with the lack of promotion within the cruise ships docked there.

Nonetheless, the Chamber plans to continues with the event next year.