The men leading the tourism initiatives for both political parties saw eye-to-eye on more issues than the public could have ever imagined.

This came during Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell's response to the Throne Speech in the House of Assembly last night. After setting out how the United Bermuda Party saw its role as the Opposition party, Mr. Dodwell warmly congratulated the PLP on its election victory and even conceded that a change was good for the Country.

And he offered an interesting insight into the relationship with his opposite number, Tourism Minister David Allen .

While publicly Mr. Allen was always seen as the Government's fiercest critic of tourism policy, Mr. Dodwell said: "When he was in Opposition we used to say -- quietly to one another, not in public perhaps -- that we agreed on about 85 percent of the direction of the tourism industry.

"We also agreed that there was nothing more important than the success of tourism in this Country. We talk about having a twin pillar economy but tourism has built the foundation.'' He also defended the Government's record, saying that Bermuda had an economy that was the envy of the world.

Mr. Dodwell conceded that it was "healthy'' for the new Government to go over all of Tourism's contracts.

But he pointed out that there were a large number of contracts to examine and that with next season quickly approaching, there was little time left to get a new advertising campaign running.

Mr. Dodwell also addressed the "thorny'' issue of airlines, urging Mr. Allen to release an independent report on the industry that was being compiled when he was Tourism Minister.

"It is an excellent report,'' he said. "It will help us understand the complexities of the issue.'' Mr. Dodwell said the airlines were in control and that the Government had to work with them.

He explained that there was a greater demand for flights than supply, allowing the airlines to set whatever prices they liked.

"We have to educate the customer that the sooner you book, the cheaper it is,'' he said.

And he said Government might even have to subsidise any new flights into the Island in a bid to attract more airlines.

Mr. Dodwell reminded Mr. Allen the importance of maintaining "balance'' in the Island's cruise ship policy.

"It's all about balancing cruise ship arrivals with air arrivals.'' After pointing out that cruise and air arrivals did not contribute equally to the economy, Mr. Dodwell highlighted the fact that two also attracted different "markets''.

David Allen Graphic file name: ALLI David Dodwell Graphic file name: DODDI