An arts charity has praised the West End Development Corporation (Wedco) for listening to tenants' concerns and shelving plans to impose a marketing fee on commercial Dockyard tenants.

The Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard would have struggled to survive if it had been forced to pay for a marketing campaign aimed at cruise ship passengers.

But Jo Stanton, chairman of the centre's management committee, told The Royal Gazette that after businesses protested Wedco decided not to impose the fee.

"They have agreed to revisit the whole programme," she said. "They really thought it would be well received and they thought they'd be trying to do the best thing."

Ms Stanton said the Arts Centre would have fought the fee all way if it had been imposed as it would have been "crippling" and "unjust".

"But that's not the case," she added. "Our message would be that we thank Wedco for listening to us and working with us. We are absolutely fine."

Ms Stanton said tenants could still choose to pay a voluntary advertising fee if they wished to be included in the campaign but the Arts Centre had opted out.

Mr. Lister said the idea for the marketing campaign was to give businesses a "better bang for their buck" by targeting cruise ship visitors before they reach the Island.

He said the majority of commercial tenants agreed to the scheme.