landmark summit next week.

Organisers of the meeting hope a new association will be formed with backing from virtually all of Bermuda's accommodations to give them one, powerful voice.

It will mean the Bermuda Hotel Association taking on an expanded role, acting as the focus for 95 percent of the hotels and being the conduit for overseas marketing and a strong lobby as well.

Current BHA president Muriel Richardson said the outcome of the meeting, set for next Wednesday, would mean more staff for the organisation so it became more like, for example, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

"We are talking about the restructuring of the hotel community so we can be more stronger and a lot more effective,'' she said.

"We will be looking for support for the path we have taken and once we get full support we will be able to have this new body. We can choose to keep the BHA name or have another name.

"The structure is going to have to change. It will be a lot more effective with Government and from a marketing point of view it will be better for Bermuda tourism.

"We will all be together with strength and unity.

"We would like to be a lot more proactive in letting people know what is happening, and look to be able to support the industry in terms of public relations. There are so many wonderful things we could be doing to help ourselves.'' Presently 48 of the 62 licensed properties are in the BHA but now there is a move to include all and forget differences that may have kept people away in the past.

Mrs. Richardson said the BHA had shrunk along with the decline in the tourism industry but now there was a will to "let bygones be bygones'' and move forward.

One property that has not been a member for over 20 years, Cambridge Beaches, is fully behind the move.

President Mike Winfield was involved in parallel attempts, with Mrs.

Richardson, to pull hotels together last year.

New era for Bermuda tourism He said it was time accommodations pulled together in order to stop the number of rooms dropping any further.

"The hotel industry faces an enormous challenge. It is time for us to get our act together to bring this industry back to the world leadership status that it once enjoyed,'' he said.

"This can be accomplished by all hotels putting aside that which separated before and come together for a multitude of reasons that should unite us.'' Mr. Winfield added that it was vital that the Island hotel room base did not decline any further below 7,453 and started to increase.

"Beyond that we are looking for growth, for return on investment for both existing and future investors and to make it more attractive for Bermudians in this industry.'' It is anticipated its staff of two, including executive director John Harvey, will be added to as the organisation grows.

Next week's meeting follows a day-and-a-half summit held at Cambridge Beaches in February. All properties have been written to and it is hoped the entire accommodation community will gather at Elbow Beach on Wednesday.

"After the meeting, if we get definite support for the changes we would like to make, we still have to do more work to make it a reality,'' noted Mrs.

Richardson.

Once the structure of the BHA changes, she said she intended stepping down as new elections are held.