Our true wealth

March 29, 2008

Dear Sir,

In a few weeks we will be returning to Bermuda for the 11th year in a row. We obviously love your delightful island. Our home is in southern California, where we have beautiful beaches and world-class resorts and spas, yet we travel thousands of miles to visit Bermuda, because we love the people, the pink sand, waking to the song of kiskadees, omelettes made with local eggs and Bermuda onions, walking the railway trail and being lulled to sleep by the waves and frogs.

The Royal Gazette published an article on November 20, 2007 stating that the next phase of tourism will be a "platinum period" to attract "high quality visitors with resources to enjoy all that Bermuda Tourism has to offer".

I believe "Bermuda Tourism" is misguided. Extravagant resorts and hotels are everywhere — there is no need to fly to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to find chic amenities, and I am a little miffed that my tourism is considered more pewter than platinum. The true wealth of Bermuda is its people, beauty, serenity and safety, not its buildings.

MARIE AND DAVE INGRANDE

San Diego, California