My husband and I arrived home (Connecticut, USA) today from our first-ever trip to Bermuda. During our stay we received The Royal Gazette and read several articles addressing the apparent decline in tourism the Island is experiencing. We found the beaches breathtaking, the golf superb, and the shopkeepers and taxidrivers warm and gracious.

The reason for my letter is to share with you an incident that occurred as we departed the Island. We were passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Nordic Empress . As we cruised out of Hamilton on Friday, October 22, we passed a house under construction on a small island along the starboard side of the channel. It is a castle-like structure that appears to be made from grey stone block. The construction crew gave the passengers a send-off that was blatantly offensive. They made obscene gestures towards the hundreds of passengers who were gathered on the deck of the ship. One worker actually bared his bottom and gestured in a way that clearly expressed the most vulgar message possible.

It was an insult to all of us and the last impression many of us have of your lovely home.

I would be very interested in hearing opinions from anyone about this send-off that nearly 1800 people experienced. It seems you take tourism very seriously, what do you have to say about this offensive send-off we received? NANCY ONAITUS ESPOSITO Norwalk, Connecticut