The Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) believes that Bermuda?s tourism can succeed if measured in economic terms and not visitor head counts.

Following the Caribbean Tourism Conference in St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands this week, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace told in an exclusive interview that it was important for Bermuda to own, protect, advance and enhance its unique ?brand?.

He reasoned that strong brands, products and services with strong reputations perform much better than others in economic terms.

?Tourism is an economic development tool. We have to speak about tourism and measure tourism success in economic terms and not visitor head counts only,? said Vanderpool-Wallace.

He also called for and end to all tourism-led initiatives that do not result in increased foreign exchange, increased employment, poverty reduction, an improved reputation and stronger economic linkages.

Warning that unless there was more focus on delivering a quality experience, nothing else would work.

The Harvard-educated tourism chief added that Bermuda, just like the rest of the Caribbean, needed to be the low cost, high quality provider in order to succeed. Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace added that South America and Mexico were getting a lot of business from Europe which would normally have come to the Caribbean, as well as Bermuda because of low airfares.

?Why would they go to Bermuda when they can flyover the Island, land in Mexico and stay there for a week ? at less than it would have cost them just to fly to Bermuda.? he said adding that this was already having an impact on the Caribbean.

The experience and the product have to improve to match the price tourists are having to pay.

Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace considers airfare to be the make-or-break of any destination.

?If the product cost is high and the airfare is high visitors will look around and see that it?s cheaper to go somewhere else and these destinations receive more revenue because the visitor is left with more money at his disposal thanks to low airfare.?

Bermuda needs to get lower airfares, which in turn will translate into more revenue for the Island.

?If you can?t do much about basic costs, you have to deliver an unforgettable experience, something which will lure potential visitors to your shores,? he said.

As for marketing, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said the Caribbean has always had to ?four P?s? approach: Product, Price, Placing and Promotion.

?Product focus and experience focus is where we should all be. That?s unique to each place and we have to make it the very best we can,? he said.

Bermuda, he said, already had one thing in its favour. All people, he said, had the seminal desire to go to an Island on holiday ? a ?Robinson Crusoe? type experience.

He said Bermuda not being the typical tropical island destination was what made us unique and it was this uniqueness that Bermuda needed to sell.

?Create something that is unique from other destinations and promote yourselves as such.?

This, he believes is the biggest and best measure of success ? the intent to recommend, not return. It all comes back to product and Bermuda?s people play an integral part in bringing together the Island?s unique experience.

Which is why, he added, it was important for the Department of Tourism to share ?visitor statistics? with the public in order to get them involved in improving and selling the tourism package.

He said it was easy enough to dispute whatever the Tourism Minister might say, but when a visitor said something positive, or negative, everyone listens and responds.