Tour operators have warned that Bermuda must redress the imbalance and bad vibes caused by recent hotel closures.

North American travel professionals who bring business to the Island say the closure of the Belmont and now the planned closure of Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort could hit the rebirth of Island tourism.

They fear the loss of the rooms and the message sent by a major name pulling out of Bermuda will hit trade in the hugely competitive North American market.

And although some of the executives, gathered at Sonesta Beach on Friday for their annual wholesalers retreat, were pleased to hear the upbeat message from Tourism Minister David Allen on planned developments, they said physical progress was needed.

Paul Zar, senior vice president of business development at GoGo Worldwide Vacations, said the news of the Marriott closure was a real shock in the travel world.

"It is not what people want to hear and not what the industry needs to hear,'' he said. "The Marriott is such a high profile property.

"It is crucial to have some good news on top of that, Bermuda needs to have something happening,'' said the former Assistant Director of the Department of tourism for North American sales. "It is important for the Minister to offer hope.'' Others felt the promise of new luxury hotels left a gap in the middle market.

Representatives from TNT travel were concerned with the loss of the Belmont and Marriott, which they said provided more reasonable rooms than some of the more expensive resorts.

"Bermuda needs another affordable option,'' said one. "We are concerned that all the talk is of upscale luxury and hope that there is going to be a middle of the road hotel.'' Javier Morales, destination manager for Certified Vacations, said the loss of the Marriott was a shock but said he was sure the Island could recover.

His company represents Continental Vacations and Delta Vacations, and has received favourable comments from recent customers to Bermuda.

The improvements planned -- focusing on the escaper, explorer and adventurer vacations -- would bring increased business, he added.

And the new high profile advertising would raise Bermuda's image in a way not seen for over two years, he said.

"People just don't know about it,'' he said. "They need to know what is going on.'' Others were impressed with the advertising messages, which begin this week with TV and radio commercials, and continue through the summer with magazine and newspaper adverts.

Mr. Zar said the industry needed to see tangible improvements on the Island, in terms of service and the new experiences to be offered.

"The product itself is sound, there is so much right about the product, it just needs some fine tuning,'' he said. "And what it is currently doing, putting service first.

"Better service, better staff -- because the world is the competition.''