A "watershed'' three year plan to relaunch tourism in Bermuda was unveiled yesterday following more than a year of planning from Government and the private sector.

The newly-formed Bermuda Alliance for Tourism (BAT) will bring a range of Government departments together with the hospitality industry and unions in a unified push to revitalise tourism.

The group will concentrate on attracting wealthy visitors back to the Island and relaunching Bermuda as a luxury destination; co-ordinating public and private sector marketing; renewal of the on-Island product; and bringing Government and the private sector together in decision-making.

Visitor numbers fell to a 20 year low of 543,126 last year, but the group has set a target of attracting 600-650,000 high end tourists.

Launching BAT yesterday, Mr. Allen said it was a "watershed'' for the industry, bringing together the public and private sector.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell supported the initiative, but accused Mr. Allen of wasting more than two years coming up with a plan.

Mr. Allen rejected the criticism, saying he had consulted exhaustively to get it right and devise a strategy which will stand the test of time.

During today's tourism debate in the House of Assembly, Mr. Dodwell said the industry was in crisis and said it was time for Mr. Allen to stop making excuses for the failure of the PLP.

And he asked how long Premier Jennifer Smith will allow Mr. Allen to stay on as minister while visitor numbers continue to tumble.

At the press launch of BAT yesterday, Mr. Allen said: "This is an unprecedented development in the history of tourism in Bermuda with the public and private sector coming together.

"We have a great vision under one umbrella with the public and private sector allocating funds to a single strategy all moving in one direction.

"Not only are we all in the same church, we are in the same pew and singing from the same hymnbook. I am very confident it will succeed with so many people with such commitment.'' He described BAT and the Hotel Concessions Act, which gives duty breaks to resorts carrying out major renovations, as "the two most significant and watershed tools used by this Government for use in building Bermuda's hospitality industry.

Tourism debate -- Page 4 Allen launches `rebirth' of tourism "Together, they will do Trojan work in constructing strong foundations for the rebirth of this great industry.'' Director of Tourism Richard Calderon and Bermuda Hotel Association (BHA) president Billy Griffith will be co-chairmen of a steering group to ensure there is key public and private sector representation.

A full-time executive director will be appointed to co-ordinate the strategy.

The public sector branch of BAT will represent the Ministries of Tourism, Transport, Environment, Home Affairs and Labour, Finance and the Cabinet Committee on Hotel Development.

The private sector branch includes the BHA, Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Bermuda Industrial Union, the Visitor Industry Partnership, and the Bermuda Experience Network.

Year one will be devoted to speeding up on-Island product development and marketing the Fall into Spring period to boost visitor arrivals between October and April.

The second year will re-launch the peak season trying to attract wealthy visitors who will provide a high yield.

The final year anticipation is that the increase in high yield visitors will continue as new resorts such as the new Tuckers Point Club and other room redevelopment projects stimulated by the Hotels Concession Act come on stream.

The BAT strategy recognises Bermuda cannot compete in the mass market and must concentrate on big-spending high yield visitors.

Marketing will be targeted to different types of visitors such business travellers, families, cruise passengers, and romantic-escape vacationers.

No figures have been mentioned, but the communications budget for North America will be trimmed and greater focus will be placed on areas, such as Europe, and marketing will be directed towards "only the most rewarding activities core to our high-yield target markets,'' according to the BAT report.

Efforts will be made to develop new air routes and increase competition on existing routes.

Special appeals will be made to baby boomers aged 36-55, with $125,000 or more annual income.

BAT grew out of the conduit alliance of stakeholders representing all sectors of the hospitality industry, which spent more than a year developing the strategy unveiled yesterday.

Mr. Griffith said yesterday: "We are much more confident this time. This is not a last chance, but a better chance because it is going along with product improvement, not just marketing.

"Today we have started improvements in a lot of hotel product. Our confidence, in terms of success, is greater than in the past.'' Former United Bermuda Party senator Mike Winfield, the President of Cambridge Beaches, praised Mr. Allen for putting politics aside to relaunch tourism.

Mr. Winfield, a member of the conduit alliance steering group, said: "I was astonished when the minister asked me to be part of this.

"I thought it was an extraordinarily bold move to put politics aside. People are no longer `we've got a problem', which we're all very good at. Now we've got a lot of people saying `what is to be done to get it right'.'' See Monday's Royal Gazette for an analysis of the BAT plan .