carried the headline "Assault victims return to Canada'' and, underneath, a second headline, "Jobs at risk in hotels''. The two headlines really speak loud and clear. If we continue to abuse visitors, then jobs will be at much greater risk in hotels than they already are and they will also be at risk in many other areas.

Despite recent incidents, Canada has decided not to advise Canadians to avoid travelling to Bermuda but it could happen. The idea has been planted in Ottawa and if Canada were to take such a step, Washington could follow the lead and tourism in Bermuda would be dead. People will not visit a place where they are officially told they are in danger and who can blame them? As Bermudians, we know that these horrible incidents are relatively rare and that Bermuda is still safe but potential visitors see on television and read in newspapers only the horror stories and recent stories have been horrible.

Tourism already has problems caused by high prices and slack service. The problems facing tourism in Bermuda are complex but they are serious and they should not be underestimated. The "sex and sin'' advertising campaign which was supposed to jump start tourism and provide extra visitors seems to be a dud. Instead of building on Bermuda's good points, and there are many, our advertising agency decided to pretend to potential visitors that Bermuda offers something it does not offer. People, even people who have never been here, know that Bermuda is a sedate resort trading on quality and did not accept the advertising.

Tourism has been struggling along at its same old decreasing pace. July occupancy figures were not good and predictions for what remains of the season are not encouraging. That is bad news for hotel owners but grim news for workers who can be laid off if occupancy rates drop below 70 percent.

All this has caused Princess Hotels' Stephen Barker to say that if the current and long term visitor trend continues, we will have hotel closures or a reduction in hotel rooms. He is, of course, correct. Hotels, like any other business, cannot continue without lucrative custom.

Successful tourism is the result of a total package offered to a customer who either buys the package or does not. The tourism industry depends on many factors, most of which come down to comfort which allows enjoyment. Comfort in hotels and guest houses is a major factor, but so are things like public safety, comfort on the roads, convenient transportation and quiet for enjoyment. We are improving the first of those five areas with genuine efforts being made to improve our accommodations. That is to the credit of the private owners of the facilities. But we have major problems in the three other areas which can only be dealt with by Government, roads, transportation and noise.

The fifth area, public safety, is the one which could destroy tourism overnight. Violence and other crimes aimed a visitors must stop or there will be no visitors. It is as simple as that.