About 170 people attended the The Bermuda Hospitality Careers Fair today at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club, and organisers are hoping it will yield better long-term results than in the past.

Wracked by high turnover rates in employment, Stephen Todd, the Bermuda Hotel Association president said it is one of the major employment problems faced by hoteliers and the hospitality industry in general. Hoteliers and restaurateurs have difficulty hanging on to staff.

The event was put on by The Bermuda Hotel Association, in collaboration with the Department of Workforce Development, the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism and Restaurant Divisions and the Bermuda College.

Mr Todd left a wide margin when asked early in the day how many people usually attended the career fairs of the past, stating: “I don’t have a magic number. We’ve averaged somewhere between 150 and 300 people who have shown an interest.”

There were some surprising absentees from the event, including students, as it was a great opportunity to introduce them to a vital part of the Bermuda economy. Perhaps a handful were present at any point during the four-hour event in the Princess Room.

Mr Todd had hoped for a strong turn out of students, saying he would have liked students to have made up half of the registration.

Still, the gathering was being held for unemployed or underemployed Bermudians to explore positions that hotels and restaurants have available in the near term.

Organisers were particularly interested in those with prior experience or those who are willing to be trained. Employers are seeking to fill key roles ahead of what is expected to be a busy, and fast approaching, tourism season.

Among the officials in attendance was Owen Darrell, Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport, who toured the exhibit hall.

While the Princess ballroom was filled with exhibitors from various large hotels, the Southampton Princess was not one of them. The hotel, expected to come back on line this year after a six year closure, held its own career fair last summer.

Hoteliers who were present were joined by representatives from the island’s largest restaurant groups.

Today’s event was the first in two years.

Last year, employment needs may have been muted with no expectation of having the Southampton hotel back on line, a property that represents some 25 per cent of the island’s hotel beds.

Mr Todd conceded that last year was an assessment period, but this year they were expecting a strong turnout.

“We will continue our efforts,” he said, “to ensure that Bermudians realise that the hospitality industry, and the hotel industry specifically, is a viable career path.”