August 10, 2004

Dear sir,

Dear lovely people of Bermuda, thank you once again for an outstanding visit to your beautiful country. As many others have said, your tropical paradise may be beautiful and the accommodations very nice, but it is the civility, service, and courtesy of your people that makes Bermuda a unique haven. Please guard these treasures. We look forward to our next visit, even now. In that light, please take my following comments regarding recent news events as coming from someone who very much appreciates Bermuda.

First, your cabbies are the most cheerful and helpful group I?ve ever encountered (and I travel a fair amount.) Please listen to their wisdom in trying to solve some of Bermuda?s traffic problems since they encounter the issue most directly. One wise cabbie (unfortunately, I did not get his name) suggested better coordination of lights through Front Street to allow large amounts of traffic to clear this choke point. Further, this cabbie agreed with my husband that horse-drawn carriages should be restricted from downtown during mid-day in high tourist season. While this would unfortunately impact the livelihood of horse carriage drivers, removing the slow-moving carriages would help move traffic in the most congested parts of the island (as well as be kinder to the horses in summer!)

Finally, the global positioning systems need to be ?sold? to the drivers, particularly when they would incur both an initial and an ongoing cost to support the system. As with any new product, this customer (the cabbie) needs to see a noticeable, important improvement over the system currently used to justify the added cost. Right now, the cab company and the local licence investor look like the prime beneficiaries of GPS until some innovative cabbies take the risk of (maybe) demonstrating the value of the system. Discussing any of these issues with groups of cabbies may be more valuable than hiring an expensive traffic control consultant ? at least initially.

Second, I was amused to read the article in July about how the Stonington/Coco Reef manager claimed that serving tea was an unnecessary expense that prevented guests from ordering more dinner, and that it was dropped. This ?afternoon refresher? has always been a most welcome pause in the day, and gesture of hospitality whenever we have visited other hotels. It seems that it was sorely missed by repeat guests at the Stonington/Coco reported in the story. Tea time need not be elaborate to serve its purpose. Even basic tea and good scones will do nicely, and hardly interferes with dinner. While an expense for the hotel, tea time shows a gesture of hospitality that is often missing from the corporate-hotel mentality.

Third, thank you for your continuing measures in support of courteous, safe, and civil behaviour. While Bermuda has a few problems as anywhere does, it is a relief not to have harassing pedlars on the beach; to avoid loud boom boxes; to prosecute drug users ? including nervy tourists ? and others who break your laws; and so many other ways large and small that result from your good people and law officers. Fourth, thank you for your friendliness, from the initial greeting of our cab service at the airport, to the lovely senior citizens at the coves in Horseshoe Bay. This trip, we stayed at a hotel with a beach nearby, but were on an adventure. My senior citizen mother had a nice chat with these senior ladies.

While we tourists may try your patience in any number of ways, please know that we appreciate your ability to extend such friendliness. It?s too bad that a recent visitor?s letter reported disappointment in a few shops most are friendly and welcoming. As a professor of Marketing with a strong interest in the hospitality industry, I realise that Bermuda has difficult issues to deal with. Please also know that Bermuda has many wonderful advantages in a very competitive travel market, only a few of which are mentioned here. Now if I can only figure out a way to get a supply of Barritt?s ginger beer stateside, I?ll be a very happy person. In the meantime, I?m happy to find a few of your shops with websites or internet contacts, so that I can shop Bermuda year-round.