the industry.

Stephen Barker, 53, will leave his post as regional vice president of Canadian Pacific's Hamilton and Southampton Princess hotels in July.

The current president of the Hotel Employers of Bermuda and past leader of the Bermuda Hotel Association said it had been his long term goal to retire and spend more time with his family.

Mr. Barker had been with Princess Hotels since 1974 and had been regional vice president for the resort properties since 1982.

He stayed on in that position when the hotels were taken over by Canadian Pacific last year.

President of Canadian Pacific Hotels, Chris Cahill, paid tribute to Mr.

Barker, who first came to Bermuda in 1972 as a chartered accountant with Coopers and Lybrand. "His professionalism and leadership extended well beyond his job-related responsibilities,'' said Mr. Cahill, highlighting his role as director of the American Hotel and Motel Association.

"The outstanding career of Mr. Barker is matched by his personal commitment to the community.'' Mr. Barker also serves on the Tourist Board and is a member of the Board of Governors of Bermuda College. Although Mr. Barker said he was unsure whether he would remain with the HEB, he said he would do everything he could to help with the future success of the tourism industry.

"I definitely will miss the thoroughly rewarding interaction with both guests and co-workers, but now look forward to the opportunity to explore completely new directions,'' he said.

"The demands of our industry are such that it is very difficult to achieve a proper balance. I now intend to spend more time with my family and actively pursue neglected hobbies.'' Taking over as BHA president in 1993, when major properties had reported a $40 million loss over the previous five years, he vowed to try to return the industry to the black.

And he called for hoteliers to join together to try to reduce costs for services such as electricity and telephones. Back in 1996 he warned against encouraging more cruise ship passengers to Bermuda at the expense of air visitors.

He said certain individuals were intent on increasing the number of cruise visitors to "line their pockets'', but the policy would undermine job security of Bermudians.

Cruise lines, he said, had no commitment to Bermuda and could easily move to another destination -- at a moment's notice.

Early retirement: Stephen Barker, who has spent 25 years in the hospitality industry.