March 19, 2012

Dear Sir

I’d like to add my voice to the debate that’s been going on in your pages recently concerning the state of tourism in the hotel industry on Bermuda. As background let me say that I first began promoting holidays from the United Kingdom to Bermuda in the mid 1970s. In that time I have seen a flourishing industry slowly decline through hotel closures and a lack of a clear tourism strategy from the Island to the very distressing state the Island hotel and tourism industry is in today.

Sitting in my office in England I pose to myself the question “how difficult can it be to get it right?”.

* There are in the order of 2,500 beds on the island now.

* Bermuda is in comparison with some other competitor destinations an expensive place to stay.

* Bermuda is unique. It is beautiful, it is prosperous, it is safe. It offers a wide variety of enjoyment for tourists be they young or old, with or without children.

There is perhaps the lack of evening activities in that there are very few facilities to appeal to a “clubbing” guest, but then I question that Bermuda is a suitable destination for that kind of visitor anyway, so the essentials are simple. Bermuda doesn’t need many tourists, it needs affluent tourists who appreciate the fact that Bermuda is beautiful, manicured, safe, secure and offers a wide variety of holiday experiences to entrance almost every kind of visitor.

I’m wondering now if this isn’t the beginning of a very simple tourism strategy for the Island. It strikes me that there is just one thing missing and that is a determination by the Bermuda Department of Tourism to make the travelling public in key markets aware of these simple facts. Perhaps I’ve been doing it too long and just simply don’t understand the problem any more but I can’t believe it’s very much more complicated than that. The Island is in serious need of an increase in visitor numbers. As the spend in hotels increases hoteliers are more able to invest in the infrastructure and quality of the product they offer thus ensuring more and more visitors to the Island will be satisfied and wish to return.

I’m wondering now if perhaps I am a tourist genius after all or is it just so very, very simple? How long do you want to talk about it Bermuda? For heavens sake start doing, and do it fast!

JOHN DIXON

Chairman & Managing Director

Prestige Holidays

1 Fridays Court,–High Street,–Ringwood, –Hants BH24 1JA, UK