cruise ship policy, the Shadow Tourism Minister has claimed.

David Dodwell applauded Transport Minister Ewart Brown's declaration last week that Government would avoid accommodating "mega'' cruise ships, saying medium sized ships with 1,300 to 1,500 passengers will still be made in the future.

And Mr. Dodwell asked why the announcement was made by the Transport Minister rather than Tourism Minister David Allen.

"This is the first time that Government has said it would avoid mega ships,'' Mr. Dodwell said. "I applaud that. But why is the Transport Minister saying it and not the Tourism Minister? "Where is their policy? It has been fourteen months now and the policy should have been in place before they go off and study what they are going to do,'' he added.

Government should have "some direction first'' Mr. Dodwell explained, adding cruise ship passengers would not provide a solution to the Island's tourism woes.

Mega cruise ships would require a widening of some of the approaches to Hamilton, he said, increasing the expense and having an impact on the environment.

"One thing I would suggest is that if we are going to do work on the docks we should try what Puerto Rico is doing and ask the cruise lines to pay for the work,'' Mr. Dodwell said.

"That's a challenge I would throw out to Government,'' he added. "It certainly wouldn't cost the taxpayer any more money.'' Citing his government's "balance'' of the ratio of cruise ship to airline passengers, Mr. Dodwell criticised the jump in the importance of cruise passengers under the PLP.

"Government always had a good balance of 25 percent cruise passengers,'' he said. "But now it is up around 40 percent. That does Bermudians a great disservice. For every dollar the cruise passenger brings in, the air passenger spends nine or ten.'' David Dodwell UBP CRUISE SHIP SHI