some vital issues, the Bermuda College's visiting tourism scholar said yesterday.

Prof. Donald E. Hawkins said Bermuda must stop paying "lip service'' to human resources in the tourism industry, should improve a product that had remained substantially unchanged for a decade, and do more to share information and ideas with other resorts.

Speaking to the Chamber of Commerce, Prof. Hawkins said the Island has many advantages. Trends like shorter conference meetings, and greater environmental awareness, should favour Bermuda.

The Island "seems to be at last pulling away from the doom-and-gloom retrospective analysis'' and instead is identifying problems, building a consensus on solutions, and creating a vision of the sort of tourism it wants.

He said Bermudian participants at last month's Island Tourism International Forum -- which focussed on price and value issues -- have been meeting to discuss the implications for the Island of the Forum's conclusions.

Among the preliminary conclusions they have been reached, he said, was that "the human resource dimension is often recognised in a lip service manner ...Bermuda's tourism industry needs to work toward improving career opportunities for Bermudians.'' This will take a "substantial commitment'' from Government, employers, the union and the community. "There appears to be consensus that a national coordinated approach needs to be initiated. Hopefully the recently appointed Task Force on Employment will give attention to this priority.'' Specific actions must be taken to address "unfavourable community attitudes'' toward careers in the hospitality industry, he said -- including the misperception that "service'' is the same thing as "servitude.'' Bermuda is among the many island destinations that have experienced a "substantial decline'' in the quality of its facilities, Prof. Hawkins said.

Recession has compounded the problem, and declines in visitor arrivals and spending has made hotels unprofitable. Hotels must return to profit for physical improvements to be made, he said, or for properties like the Bermudiana and Club Med to be re-opened.

Prof. Hawkins said cruise ship tourism has been extremely successful in recent years.

"But Bermuda should not assume that cruise tourism will continually expand upwards,'' he warned. There are already problems of over-supply and deep price discounting, in the Caribbean and Atlantic, he said.

Bermuda's cruise ship policy needs to work toward higher occupancy and higher passenger spending. Government and other concerned parties must "keep open lines of communication concerning present and future cruise ship policies''.

Many of the preliminary issues identified by the Bermudians at the Forum concerned gathering and sharing information.

Bermuda must keep track of the constant changes in tourist patterns, Prof.

Hawkins said, and be prepared to take advantage of them. The Island already has extensive information resources but could share the information and use it for decision-making.

Regional and international cooperation among islands "is essential to remain competitive with mainland destinations,'' he said. Bermuda should consider joining bodies like the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

"Value is not only what a destination or hotel actually delivers -- rather it is what segments of the travelling public perceive to be delivered,'' he said.