Minister of Tourism and Transport Ewart Brown spoke to the House of Assembly about his recent trip to Dubai where he stayed in a seven-star hotel and received criticism for doing so.

Dr. Brown represented Bermuda at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in April held at Burj Al Arab with other Caribbean nations in attendance as well.

The Minister raved about the service and facility of the hotel. ?The Burj Al Arab is such a facility and it is no marketing ploy or fancy gimmickery?, referring to resort and lodging experts in United States and Canada doubting the existence of such a hotel.

Dr. Brown spoke about the panel discussions he attended as part of the conference and said, ?I am pleased to say that Bermuda?s reputation as an investor-friendly jurisdiction is well known and many promising lines of inquiry were initiated regarding Bermuda and the potential for developing those sites that lend themselves to future hotel development?.