Police need to tackle gun crime immediately if Bermuda's image as a safe destination is to be protected, says the Bermuda Democratic Alliance.

The party's comments followed this newspaper's revealing of Government's 2009 summer exit survey which polled 731 visitors.

Seventy-three percent cited personal safety as a "critically important" factor in choosing their vacation destination.

The category outranked factors such as Bermuda's climate and natural scenic environment.

BDA member Michael Fahy said: "The Alliance has stated on several occasions that tourists do take the issue of their personal safety when on holiday very seriously and therefore gang violence and reports in the international press of gun crime certainly have the potential to damper further the tourism industry in 2010.

"We are pleased that the Bermuda Police Service has started to get the problem under some control. It is imperative however that the public realise the wider reaching economic consequences of gun crime in Bermuda and that it does not just affect the families of those persons who have been injured or killed. It affects all of us.

"We can't do anything about the weather but we can do much to increase a visitor's enjoyment in Bermuda from increased Police presence to beach cleanliness to always treating our tourists as if they are guests in our home and encouraging that they return to Bermuda."

Mr. Fahy said that it was important to ensure tourists continued to feel safe as repeat visitors are a big part of the Island's tourism base.