With or without Premier Ewart Brown, Bermuda's struggling tourism industry will come under the spotlight today as the Budget debate resumes in the House of Assembly.

Worldwide awareness of the Island as a travel destination and the state of Bermuda's hotels are among the topics United Bermuda Party Leader Kim Swan will raise if he gets a chance during the five-hour Tourism and Transport discussion.

The debate was the source of controversy earlier this week, when it was revealed Tourism and Transport Minister Dr. Brown was unavailable due to his presence at a CARICOM meeting in Dominica.

The UBP has complained the Premier is off the Island for his own Ministry's debate; Dr. Brown is equally annoyed the Opposition arranged it for a date he says he told them he couldn't make.

Whomever speaks in Dr. Brown's absence can expect some questions about how the Ministry is planning to improve visitor figures with its budget of $121 million, an increase of $11 million, for 2010/11.

Mr. Swan said yesterday: "Our focus in the Tourism debate is to draw attention to the dire state of the hotel industry and the fact that the Government is not doing enough to ensure it survives the year.

"This is about taking steps such as tax relief to preserve the viability of hotels and the jobs they create.

"We will also focus on the critical need to rebuild Bermuda's profile in core markets. We need to be ready when our target visitors start thinking about vacationing. We're not ready now and that needs to change.

"The Government has presided over a catastrophic decline in people's awareness as a travel destination. It is a shocking, totally unacceptable failure that needs to be addressed as an emergency.

"There has been too much amateurish meddling and control by the Minister and we will have something to say about the need for professional leadership at Tourism, specifically the need for a Tourism Authority.

"Bermuda does not have to accept the decline of tourism. We have a plan to fight and we hope the Government listens to us tomorrow because something must be done to get us back on the right track."

This afternoon, attention will switch to the Ministry of Justice, with Minister Michael Scott speaking about subjects including the Attorney General's Chambers and the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Deputy UBP Leader Trevor Moniz, who will lead the Opposition response, says he supports the reappointment of DPP head Rory Field, as well as a number of anti-violence initiatives recently launched by Government.

However, Mr. Moniz believes more needs to be done to make sure justice is achieved in the courts, with one possibility involving a panel of judges alongside, or instead of, juries.

In the evening, Government Fees Amendment Regulations are scheduled for discussion, as well as Government Fees (Trade Marks and Service Marks) Amendment Regulations. These set out the costs of permits and licences.

Other debates scheduled for today are the Insurance Amendment Act, which will mean insurance accounts regulations can be obtained retroactively, and the related Insurance Accounts Amendment Regulations.