Coco Reefs Resort owner John Jefferis was awarded a lifetime achievement award in the UK, while questions were raised about tax concessions given to the Paget property in the House of Assembly.

Mr. Jefferis was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award in Tourism and Travel" from the Caribbean World magazine, the only quarterly magazine dedicated to the Caribbean. He was presented the award at the famous Dorchester Hotel in London.

Ray Carmen, the publisher of Caribbean Life, said: "We are delighted to honour Mr. Jefferis with the Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Not only for his great achievements as an award-winning successful world-class hotelier and entrepreneur, but also for his engaging personality and charisma."

Mr. Jefferis owns Coco Reefs Resorts Ltd., which has a property here and one in Tobago. A third one is being built in Panama. He is also a past president of both the Bermuda and Caribbean Hotel Associations and was the first person named Bermuda Hotelier of the Year. In 1991, he was named Caribbean Hotelier of the Year for his role as manager of Elbow Beach Hotel.

After the presentation Mr. Jefferis said: "More and more the defining point of excellence in the resort business is perfect service. We can and will build more luxurious properties, with increasingly complex technological innovations that will meet our guests' ever increasing expectations. However, without flawless, friendly, personal service the investment in these properties will never meet their full potential."

Meanwhile, in Bermuda the Premier Ewart Brown "shut down" a parliamentary debate regarding tax concessions given to Coco Reefs after the Opposition Leader Kim Swan alleged favourable conditions in the lease were a form of election "payback".

The concessions entitle Coco Reefs a variety of tax exemptions, ranging from $7,000 to $130,700 a year for a five-year period.