A tourist has called on the politicians of Bermuda to protect and care for Southlands as if it were a piece of "treasure".

Teddy Gingerich, a 49-year-old mail carrier from Arizona, contacted The Royal Gazette after hearing Morgan's Point was being considered as an alternative to the Jumeirah Southlands resort.

She said: "I was greatly heartened to read of the possible location shift of the Jumeirah Southlands project from Warwick to Morgan's Point. I was stationed at Tudor Hill in the mid-1980s (with the US Navy) and made my first return trip in 2006 with my teenagers. I was pleased to see that Bermuda had not succumbed to the Mexico/Central America/Caribbean trend of large flashy resorts that have nothing to do with the local area.

"The message I would like to send to the politicians and developers is this: You have a real treasure in your hands, and it needs to be cared for with an eye to long-term goals. I am a diver who knows what lasting havoc can be wreaked on an irreplaceable reef system by unchecked development and careless behaviour.

"While I was visiting Bermuda I stopped by both Tudor Hill and Morgan's Point. Hello politicians and developers! You have two large properties just sitting there decaying. After ten years, one would expect something to have been done with them.

"Morgan's Point would be a perfect setting for a luxury resort, as long as care is taken to preserve the Sound. Tudor Hill has potential for use as affordable housing, of which there seems to be a shortage. The point is — you don't have to sacrifice a valuable greenland area in order to boost tourism. There is land available — see the ex-Club Med, if the Government can look at the big picture and focus on long-range goals."

Mrs. Gingerich praised the strength of 'people-power' in Bermuda — with residents making their voices heard. She said: "The people of Bermuda aren't just sitting back and letting their elected officials do whatever they please.

"You really do have a treasure. Keep up the good work, people, and don't let it get away from you."