ALMOST half the visitors quizzed in a Government survey last year said they didn't get value for money on their Bermuda holiday - the worst figure recorded in the poll's three-decade-plus history.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said the 2000 year-end figures in the Department of Tourism Airport Survey showed that only 52 per cent of tourists questioned were satisfied with what they got for their money in Bermuda.

Mr. Dodwell said the figure had not been released publicly by the Government and had been leaked to him.

And he believed the only solution to the problem was for Bermuda to take better care of its visitors.

"Only 52 per cent of visitors felt they had got value for money and the report said this was the worst figure on record," said Mr. Dodwell.

"That's a worrying figure because it means 48 per cent - nearly half our customers - left here feeling they did not get good value for money. And that's what they will be telling their friends and travel agents."

He added that when he had been Tourism Minister in the UBP Government between 1995 and 1998, value for money satisfaction had been around the mid-60s per cent.

"When people buy a vacation they are buying memories," said Mr. Dodwell. "And if those memories aren't good ones, then people will say they have not got value for money.

"This is not an easy message to deliver, because it means we have to look inwards. It's all about how we treat our visitors. This is not what I'm saying, this is what our customers are saying and that's why it's so important.

"Marketing will not solve this problem. It's about the product. It's about what the visitor experiences from the moment he lands here until the moment he leaves."

He believed there were three components to the tourism experience - firstly the quality of hotels, restaurants, boat tours and the like, secondly the standard of service and thirdly the choice of activities.

Mr. Dodwell, who owns The Reefs Beach Club, said the survey was probably too bulky to have been made public in its entirety, but he believed a summary of the most pertinent figures should have released.

He did not feel the fact that Bermuda was generally an expensive place to visit was an adequate explanation for the disappointing survey figures.

"The issue is value for money and that relates to expense and experience. If you stay in a suite at The Reefs, it may be expensive, but when you look at that beautiful view and the quality of the room and the good service you can say you got value for money.

"And if you take a taxi on a Sunday, it can be expensive, but if you enjoy the ride and the driver gives you a bit of a guided tour, then you can say it was good value.

"The holiday destination world is getting more competitive and many islands are doing a good job taking care of their customers. We must redouble our efforts to take care of our customers."

Mr. Dodwell said his suggested solution was to spend less on marketing and more on making Bermudians aware of how they could enhance their tourism industry.

"My money would go into developing Bermuda's awareness of tourism and our attitude towards it," he said. "I would take money out of the marketing budget and I would invest millions in rebuilding the culture of tourism."

Stressing the importance of tourism should begin in the schools, added Mr. Dodwell.