The delay in introducing amendments to the 1981 Timeshare Act is damaging Bermuda?s tourist product and causing frustration to St. George?s Club time share owners according to Shadow Tourism Minister and Opposition Senate Leader Kim Swan.

Director of Tourism Cherie-Lynn Whitter said recommendations to the 1981 Timeshare Act have been shared with Cabinet and drafting instructions have been issued to the Attorney General?s Chambers.

?The Minister of Tourism Ewart Brown is aggressively pursuing changes to the 1981 Timeshare Act,? Ms Whitter said.

?We are hoping the recommendations will be considered in October when the House of Assembly reconvenes.?

But Sen. Swan said: ?Promises of this kind have been made before. Just before the last election Government said legislation was forthcoming.

?You can?t string people along, Government has been terribly tardy in tabling timeshare legislation.?

St. George?s Club members have tried unsuccessfully since the mid-1990s to make progress in revising the 1981 timeshare legislation which they say favours developers but failed under previous Tourism Ministers, David Allen and Renee Webb.

Sen. Swan bemoaned the lack of timely action by Government and said the delay was unreasonable because the 25th anniversary of the timeshare is fast approaching.

He said stakeholders need time to consider all the implications of a complex piece of legislation and consultation has been too narrow.

?There has not been sufficient dialogue among timeshare owners, the developers of timeshares and the managers of timeshares. The Minister should make a statement on the delay,? Mr. Swan said.

Ms Whitter said stakeholders have been consulted on the timeshare recommendations including the Bermuda Hotel Association (BHA), the St. George?s Club and the St. George?s Club Members Advisory Council.

BHA President John Harvey said the BHA had been given an opportunity to see the recommendations and have made comments on them.

Mr. Harvey also said the BHA has asked for a meeting with the Ministry of Tourism to discuss the recommendations but that meeting has not been held.

When asked if he was concerned about the delay in introducing the timeshare legislation Mr. Harvey responded: ?We have ongoing dialogue with the Ministry of Tourism, I am not personally alarmed.

?We have to make sure all the stakeholders have been consulted which is only fair.?

Timeshare owners, Mr. Harvey said, do have some concerns about the amendments to the legislation but he was optimistic that the Ministry of Tourism will address them.

He said he did not share the same level of concern about the delay as the Shadow Tourism Minister, as he said the legislation was complex and should not be hastily introduced as it may be poorly drafted as a result.

But Sen. Swan was dismissive of Government?s efforts to revise the legislation

?There is no reason for the continued delay which is not in the best interests of transparency,? he said.