Work is under way to shine a fresh spotlight on the East End in advance of the tourist season.

Kristin White, the cultural tourism manager under the Hub 1 Steering Committee, said the St George’s community were looking forward to the coming season and the economic boost it would bring.

“People are optimistic,” Mrs White said. “We’re seeing a trend where people are more excited about tourism in the town. We had to start first with those people who live and work here, and then we need to get the word out.

“That’s where we have had our biggest struggle, really communicating what’s going on and getting that word out.”

For the past few months, Mrs White has been focusing on the product, promotion and infrastructure in St George’s and St David’s, which jointly make up Hub 1, along with measuring a baseline they could use to determine progress. In terms of product, she said that a key element was to build a more vibrant atmosphere in the town, bringing its rich history to life.

“Right now you get off the ferry and you walk across the plaza by the World Heritage Centre, down Water Street to the square and then go up the hill to Fort St Catherine,” she said. “What we want to do is create some life along that journey.”

In addition to more historical re-enactments and tours, Mrs White said they were looking for buskers to take to the streets in the summer months.

“We are looking for everything from musicians to artists, mystics and street performers,” she said. “We don’t really have a street-performing culture in Bermuda, but St George’s is ripe for it.

“We already have the layout of the town square and the re-enactments, which are a street performance.

“A few years ago the Corporation of St George’s actually created a busking policy because they wanted to encourage it. We are now trying to let people know this policy exists and try to spur it on.”

In the area of promotion, Mrs White said a social media plan was being put in place and a meeting was set to be held with local businesses on Monday about creating a St George’s-specific guide, created by East End residents to tell their story.

“I often feel like we get buried in other publications when they cover the entire island,” she said. “They would have a section on St George’s, but it doesn’t have our full story. We have to tell our full story.”

On March 19, St George’s will host “Signature St George’s”, a wide-ranging open house to highlight the potential of the town for events such as parties and weddings.

“St George’s really is a sort of one-stop-shop event destination for any celebration,” Mrs White said.

“We have the most incredible venues; the forts, the World Heritage Centre, the Unfinished Church, Somers Garden, St Peter’s Church. Because all of these are historic venues, you know your rental dollar is going to help enhance and preserve Bermuda’s Unesco World Heritage Site.”

Regarding infrastructure, she said the focus remained on public transport, noting the bus service in St David’s.

“The schedule is OK but the route could really help the East End if it would simply go down to Cooper’s Island and Clearwater Beach,” she said. “The point of the hub is to connect St George’s and St David’s, and transport is a big part of how we do that.

“There’s also the matter of moving people to all of our assets on the eastern coast. Those are real assets for us, and if we can’t get people there we are cutting off what we have.”