February 4, 2011Dear Sir,As a daily reader of The Royal Gazette from Long Island, I constantly read that Bermuda’s tourism is doing poorly.My first visit was in 1974. We stayed at The Reefs for a week for under $600 including great meals. God bless David Dodwell for upgrading the hotel to world class standards, and securing an upscale following of repeat visitors. We haven’t been able to afford to stay there since 1985, so we have been staying at smaller properties, often making last minute plans to take advantage of special sales. (We stayed at Surfside two summers ago because of the 24 hour half-price sale.)Since 1988 we have stayed at guest houses, and now we look for apartments. As the prices keep rising, we always look for better deals. Last November we took our son’s girlfriend to Salt Kettle House and she loved Bermuda. Her parents were going to take her back for her 30th birthday and stay in a larger hotel, but when they saw the prices they made reservations for Aruba.Bermuda has become a large part of my life. I sacrifice a lot to go there at least once a year. On vacation, we cook dinner most of the time and eat lunch at nice locations, but lunch is never less than $40. That’s expensive for two sandwiches and a beer. Ever since I wrote my novel that takes place in Bermuda, many readers have expressed interest in travelling there. But when they see the hotel and air prices, well, you can guess the answer. I have been to other Caribbean and Mexican vacation spots, and Bermuda is by far the best, but not reasonably priced. I often see old movies where Bermuda is mentioned as THE honeymoon and vacation paradise. Those days are long gone.I constantly read about new hotels to be built, but who is going to stay in expensive hotels in this economy? There are only so many people who can afford $600 a night. The rise of international business has cooked the goose of Bermuda’s tourism. I guess you can’t serve two masters. So we will be down in May to chip in a few bucks to do our part to bolster Bermuda’s hurting tourist industry. I wish we could do more!RON LACEYMassapequa, New York