One of the themes of the The National Tourism Conference's - the people who work in the tourism industry - is an apt one.

As Roger Cline, the director of the hospitality consultancy service at Andersen World-wide, said yesterday, hotels must keep staff morale high if they want them to give their customers their best.

Premier Jennifer Smith emphasised the point when she said: "The development of human capital is essential for the rejuvenation of our industry. We all need to reinvent ourselves and the way we operate in the 21st Century."

The question, which is not unique to the tourism industry, is how to move beyond catch phrases like "high morale" and "reinvention" to ensuring that front line staff give their best.

Some of the ideas, such as ensuring that the human resources director reports directly to the chief executive, are worthwhile and valid.

Improving wages and working conditions will also improve morale, as will teaching people the value of tourism - from the cradle to the grave, as one speaker said - has to help but may not be possible, especially in a struggling industry such as Bermuda's.

But really improving the quality of service through better morale requires other changes in staffing.

Giving staff a real stake in their businesses, through schemes such as employee ownership of the businesses they work in and profit sharing, may be the best place to start.

Some hotel executives have expressed concerns that training is not working, according to an Andersen survey.

But training and setting our clear career advancement paths for employees are also key for ensuring that the best employees stay in the industry.

So too is information. Employees cannot be expected to fix problems that they are not aware of - or to make sacrifices for the good of the business if they are not aware of the severity of the problem.

But improving service also requires changes in the mindsets of employees. The phrase "not in my job description" should be abolished from the vocabulary of all employees. The modern working world requires managers and employees who are flexible and willing to take on any challenge, especially in a business environment like Bermuda where competing on the basis of cost alone is nearly impossible.

This also means that management and unions need to work together to find ways to reward employees beyond three percent increases in contracts.

Job security in return for wage increase freezes, or financial rewards for increases in hotel occupancies or for commendations for fine service or introducing cost saving measures are some of the ways that employees could benefit.

All new ideas should be welcome - while methods and practices which have stuck around because "it has always been done that way" should be eliminated.