Hotelier Michael Winfield's ideas on how tourism can be revived should be required reading for everyone concerned about tourism - from Tourism Minister Ewart Brown on down.

It may be that Mr. Winfield has not got all of the answers completely right, or that others will have more ideas that a single speech could not include. But Mr. Winfield, who has given his professional life to the industry, knows what he is talking about, and he has earned the right to be heard.

Improving service, reducing crime and deciding what the Island's “comfortable daily carrying capacity” for cruise passengers and hotel guests is, are all key issues that need to be tackled.

It is likely that Dr. Brown knows or has been told all of this, but it does not hurt to see someone else with Mr. Winfield's experience saying it.

Clearly Mr. Winfield, who is both president of the Bermuda Hotel Association and co-chairman of the Bermuda Alliance on Tourism, is on the same track as Dr. Brown in many ways, notably on the need to expand air access from Europe.

And Mr. Winfield, a former United Bermuda Party Senator and Dr. Brown, the Progressive Labour Party's Deputy Leader, no doubt also agree on the need for further discussions on race and reconciliation as the way forward a peaceful and successful community - which is in itself a key ingredient in tourism's success.

But they may differ when Mr. Winfield criticises the “stop-go” mentality in the Tourism Ministry whenever a new Minister comes along with new ideas.

“Our current system of Government means that the decisions of any tourism campaign, the responsibility and accountability for those decisions rests with the Minister,” he said. “All political sides have delighted in making tourism a political issue. A new Minister comes in wanting to put his own personal stamp on the direction in which Bermuda is going.

“Suddenly it is ‘all stop' and we go in another direction. Politics in an insatiable master, it demands the Opposition are finding ways to disturb the credibility of Government and if, Tourism is not experiencing an immediate recovery, then it is seen as fair game.

“Having been involved in the political process for many years, I understand the political realities, however, as a tourism professional I submit that it is this very process that is standing in the way of finding the fix we need.”

How true. And it's fair to say that this has been true of Progressive Labour Party Ministers and United Bermuda Party Ministers, including but not limited to Dr. Brown.

At the risk of being political, there is a solution and that is to adopt the UBP's idea of a real Bermuda Tourism Authority, as opposed to the heavily watered-down version that is BAT. This does not mean Government would take no responsibility for tourism. That would be impossible, and clearly promoting Bermuda as a destination needs public funding. But it should be a shared responsibility with the key players in the industry, who would also take over the research functions, hotel inspections and so on.

Bermuda's international business sector, now virtually the only engine the economy has, is a fine example of this. The Ministry of Finance works with the sector to regulate and direct it, but it does not take on the sole responsibility. It depends instead on the expertise that already exists, recognising that trying to duplicate or overrule that knowledge would be madness.

The same thing can be done in tourism. It is worth noting that two of the last three Tourism Ministers, David Dodwell and Renee Webb, have acknowledged as much.

No one disputes Dr. Brown's energy or what he is attempting to do to inject new enthusiasm into the sector. And it is fair to say that the sector is starting to recover, although just as past Ministers cannot be entirely blamed for tourism's woes, so Dr. Brown cannot claim all the credit for a recovery.

But he could take credit for freeing tourism from the political shackles that it has been locked in for decades and for setting it free and on the road to a success that can be shared by all. Now that would be a legacy.