experience, the developer of a major American resort has claimed.

The cost of vacationing in Bermuda should be cheaper, visitors should be provided with more information on the Island and additional transportation should be considered, Mr. Tom Corcoran has proposed.

In a letter to The Royal Gazette , the operator of Waterville Valley, a year-round resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, said that while Bermuda's visitors have declined, he has managed to increase business during the recession.

"During each of the past three years we have increased our market share of the ski, conference and summer business that goes to New England mountain resorts,'' he said. "Our skier attendance this past winter was up seven percent over our previous record, and we are now ranked fifth or sixth in size among major New England resorts...

"So I have first-hand experience with the business of attracting upscale visitors in all seasons of the year to an out-of-the-way place in a tough economy.'' Mr. Corcoran said he has visited Bermuda once or twice a year for the past 50 years and has arranged and attended many meetings here for his national trade association's board of directors.

A 25-year-veteran of the tourism industry, Mr. Corcoran also suggested that visitors be warned about possible crime and labour relations be improved.

He said that while Bermuda is a far bigger resort, it parallels with Waterville Valley in that both are trying to grow in terms of annual attendance and revenues; the primary market for each is North Americans with above-average income statements and balance sheets who have lots of vacation alternatives.

He added that investors in both resorts require an adequate return for what they have invested and their employees expect regular pay increases. At both resorts, he said, the natural beauty of the respective environments is the greatest asset and must be protected.

Mr. Corcoran listed four components to a Bermuda vacation -- lodging, food, on-island transportation and recreation in which prices should be cut to see a better return.

"Your wonderful beaches and scenery are free, and a number of your smaller guest properties and restaurants as well as bus and ferry services seem reasonably priced to me,'' he said. "But the rest is way overpriced except for the very rich who are relatively few in number and have an awful lot of vacation choices in the world available to them ... You can add as much value as possible, but if the basic vacation package is priced out of reach of most of your target market, you will not succeed in the long run.'' An important factor that Bermuda should consider, he said, was to make information on the Island more available to visitors.

"In a nutshell, Bermuda delivery systems to visitors on the Island are really poor and ineffective,'' he said. "They reflect a lack of attention to the task of how to keep the visitor entertained and happy while in Bermuda, and wanting to return...the average visitor isn't aware of 10 percent of what Bermuda offers.'' Mr. Corcoran said that while Bermuda offered a greater spectator sport opportunity than any other country its size, maps do not indicate any stadiums, fields or sporting areas.

The newspaper does not give a comprehensive listing of events, he said. And "neither of the two weekly or monthly tourist publications give more than a cursory sampling of events, sometimes wrong, often irrelevant and usually incomplete. And sporting events are at the bottom of the heap...If you want to find where to buy something, they're great. As a source of information on what's going on currently in Bermuda, they're little better than useless.

"With all that Bermuda offers, Government should have a TV channel devoted to visitor information, with a tent card on top of the TV in every room -- this could be paid for by ads from shops and restaurants.

"In general we think Bermuda's facilities and services for tourists are first-rate, complete and well run. You don't need more facilities and services. You need to learn how to promote them better, particularly to visitors already on the Island.'' Mr. Corcoran suggested that Government keep in touch with past visitors through direct mail and encourage them to return.

He said that while travelling on motorbikes is part of the fun and attraction of Bermuda, visitors should be warned of the possibility they might become the object of thieves if riding during the night. And he said golf carts should be considered as an acceptable alternative to motorbikes.

Visitors would also appreciate a motor bike guide to the Island consisting of a number of proposed scenic tours that are looped to start and finish in the same place, he said.

With regard to Bermuda's labour situation, Mr. Corcoran said that a remedy is necessary for the interests of the Island.

He said that in other parts of the world, labour and management are coming together to jointly combat loss of business. And he suggested "imaginative agreements'' such as "concepts like profit sharing on one basis or another, opportunities for employees to obtain stock ownership and equity positions, individual economic incentives, and rewards for superior individual performance''.

"..The above comments are offered as constructive criticism, because Bermuda has given so much enjoyment for so long to me and my family,'' he said. "It's our favourite place in the early spring, regardless of good or bad weather.

And a big part of our enjoyment stems from the people of Bermuda, far and away the friendliest of any Island we've ever visited.''