tourism industry in order to become more competitive, banker Mr. Louis Mowbray said yesterday.

Mr. Mowbray, the sole candidate for election to president of the Chamber of Commerce today, said the Chamber will focus on making businesses more efficient during his three-year term.

He also committed the Chamber to full cooperation with Government and the Bermuda International Business Association in their studies on the future of the economy.

And he predicted the next 12 months will be difficult for the Bermuda economy, with more businesses and individuals likely to get into financial problems.

But the 59-year-old banker said he will bring a lower-profile approach to the job than some of his predecessors and will focus on bringing different groups in the community together.

At the same time, he says if it is necessary for him to take a public stand on an issue, he will do so.

"What we are going into is perhaps the most difficult year economically that we have faced since the 1940s and this will put a lot of stress and strain on the whole economy and the Chamber will have to play its part in coping with business and other problems,'' he said.

"The bright spots are that cruise ship bookings are pretty solid and the smaller hotels appear to be doing somewhat better than they did last year, but you have to look at the total number of beds, 8,500, of which they only make up 2,500.

"The big problem is in the large hotels, which, as most people know, are suffering from a lack of group business and that looks like it will be a problem throughout 1992.

"The construction industry is down and as a result of all of this, the retail industry is down.'' Mr. Mowbray, a former president of the Employers Council, said the Chamber will give full support to Government's Employment Task Force, the Competitiveness Commission and BIBA's international business committees, all of which are looking at ways of improving tourism and international business and new industries for the Island.

He said he was concerned that tourist arrival figures for the first three months of 1992 are down on last year's -- when Americans were not travelling because of the Gulf War.

"We don't have the Gulf War, but we do have a recession, and Americans are pulling their horns in and are not spending,'' he said. "They are looking at fixed price vacations like cruise ships.

"Some islands like Aruba and Cayman have gone in for fixed price land vacations and their bookings last year were much higher than other Caribbean destinations.

"This does not mean we should go in for it whole hog, but that is what people are looking for. In that respect, the Chamber has been urging a revision of the cruise ship policy.

"We do not want to flood Bermuda with cruise ships, but we do feel that the addition of one ship at the end of the week would not strain the infrastructure and would add to the Island's income at a critical time.'' The Chamber may also lobby Government on duty reductions. At the same time it urges members to give "added value'' to customers at restaurants, shops and the transport sector in order to make the Island less costly for visitors.

"We are also working very closely with the senior staff of cruise ships so that Bermuda gets as good a presentation as possible on board through talks, presentations and videos,'' he said.

And as a possible sideline, he said the Chamber was being urged by the cruise companies to find more activities for ship's crews on the Island.

He said during the cruise season, the crews spent four to five days a week on the Island compared to just one day in New York. Sports events and other activities for the crews could help increase the Island's income, he said.

Mr. Mowbray also said the Island needed to look for new forms of business and more diversity, but he said it would take four to five years to realise the benefits of any new sectors.

"It is something we have to do, but in the immediate future, we are reliant on tourism and international business,'' he said.

While the Competitiveness Commission would be looking at new business, its tourism review committee should also be coming up with new approaches for visitors such as adding value and expanding cultural tourism and sports.

Happily for Mr. Mowbray, he will not be inheriting a loss-making organisation like his predecessor Mr. Thomas Dickinson.

"That has been corrected,'' he said. "Even though there has been some fall-off in membership, we are getting a number of new companies and financially we are in the black.

"A number of companies have ceased to be in business or are in difficulty and do not feel they can afford to maintain their membership, but we have also had a number of new members come in who feel the Chamber is a rallying point for businesses to help with problems.'' While he is president of the Chamber, he will also oversee the introduction of a new constitution which will formalise a reorganisation of the Chamber's sometimes cumbersome hierarchy and committee structure.

Mr. Louis Mowbray.