Vermont, on May 14, headed Vermont Tourism, which we think is very pertinent to some of the problems Bermuda faces right now. It also demonstrates that Bermuda is not alone in its struggle with tourism and that the problems are very similar.

The editorial writer points put that many people see tourism as a second-rate industry economically because, "The jobs it creates tend to be seasonal, low skilled and low paying. And the problems it brings -- traffic, congestion, commercialization, environmental degradation -- are precisely the type feared by many residents.'' The editorial says that the choice is between good tourism and bad tourism and that the challenge is to encourage the former and avoid the latter.

A 1987 study by University of Vermont Professor Robert E. Manning, Lessons from the Tourism Literature: a Study For Vermont, points out that tourism can alert an area to the importance of preserving its cultural and scenic distinctiveness but, at the same time, it can foster development that destroys those distinctions. Tourism can increase economic opportunity in an area but it can also bring inflationary pressure that threatens established enterprise and residents' well-being. On a social level, tourism can encourage cultural exchanges between visitors and hosts, but in some forms can make such interaction superficial and strained, and encourage social stereotypes.

The editorial points out that the crucial factor in determining the impact of tourism is scale. The more massive the development the more likely it will be to impose unacceptable costs. Smaller-scale enterprises tend to be locally owned, meaning that the money they earn tends to stay within the region and is spent locally to create other jobs. Smaller enterprises also tend to be labour intensive and more dependent on local suppliers. Larger developments often require intensive capital investment, which leads to outside ownership, use of outside suppliers, the hiring of out-of-area people for skilled jobs, and the substitution of technology for local labour. Social exchanges in the smaller-scale developments tend to be more personal and meaningful, while the larger developments reduce contact to economic transactions and attract larger crowds that are likely to interrupt daily routines of residents and cause resentment.

Professor Manning recommends long range tourism planning to determine the steps to be taken to foster desirable development.

The editorial says, "One long-range issue that Vermont must address is determining how much tourism is enough. Areas that develop successful tourism industries are those with a distinctive sense of place that visitors find attractive. Areas that go into decline are those that experience so much development that they lose the distinctiveness that first made them attractive. Striking the right balance not only helps keep a region attractive to its residents, it maintains the health of its tourist industry.'' The editorial says that Vermont has to be interested in tourism planning as well as tourism promotion.

That is exactly what this newspaper has been suggesting when it has pushed for a future plan for Bermuda's tourism.