vulnerability of Island tourism destinations are two key conclusions to emerge from the recent international forum on Island tourism at Bermuda College.

Although a final report has yet to be compiled, organisers say a major common thread through three days of talks was the need for more professionalism among hotel workers.

"The need for better trained, more professionally oriented people in the industry is going to be a major challenge,'' forum organiser Mr. Michael Conlin said.

"There was a feeling the human resources aspect of the tourism industry really needs attention, particularly in the side of the industry that prides itself in service.

"If you don't deliver good service, you're going to be in trouble.'' Emphasis on improving services was a reflection of widespread understanding among participants that Island destinations can no longer rely simply on their exotic locations to attract business.

Abundant competition, fewer airlines and quality conscious customers are some aspects of a tourism industry subject to unprecedented free market forces.

Mr. Conlin, who is Dean of the Hotel and Business Administration and Hotel Faculty at Bermuda College, said it was frightening how vulnerable and dependent island destinations were becoming.

He said there would have to be more attention paid to their so-called "product mixes'' -- who their customers are -- than ever before.

"In Bermuda's case, you're going to have to look very carefully at its market segment to see if it's most appropriate, to see if it's going to stick with a single segment of the market.'' Bermuda's tourism marketing has been geared primarily to high income travellers, and almost wholly from North American centres.

Since the end of the forum last week, local hoteliers, tourism officials and academics have been meeting to draft forum conclusions relevant to Bermuda.

While they may also decide that more professionally trained hotel workers are needed, a conference summary point made by Canadian professor Dr. Brent Ritchie indicated that the forces of history were against any real action.

"Human resources development receives eternal lip service, but islands have yet to make substantive commitments to developing training systems and improving working conditions as essential elements of providing quality service,'' he said.

Nevertheless, a survey of the 75 conference participants who hailed from the Caribbean, United States, Hawaii, South America, Spain and England, saw improved training as a key first step to matching their product with higher market expectations.

"Human resources are the key to achieving quality service,'' one summary point said.

The consensus on worker training was further underlined in three other summary points. They were: Rising demand for quality service will increase pressure on island destinations to manage and improve service demands; Upgrading employees and management skills is an essential first step toward improving service; and Value is often equated by consumers to quality of services. Emphasis on service was seen as one elementary way to confront a new, more demanding and discriminating travelling public with more access to more markets than ever before.

"Consumers are more picky and quality conscious,'' one summary point said.

"Island tourism leaders need to recognise there is a quality revolution going on in the United States.'' As a result of the new pressures, the conference felt that island destinations would be forced to upgrade education and training resources.