Bermuda’s “culture of no” towards new business ideas has damaged the island’s tourist industry, a top Bermuda Tourism Authority official has said.

Glenn Jones, director of strategy and corporate communications for the BTA, added that research showed that entrepreneurs who wanted to offer new services often gave up because of overregulation and red tape.

Mr Jones said: “We hear a lot from entrepreneurs who come up with an entrepreneurial idea that they know meets the desire of our visitors but have a hard time getting the regulatory approval that they need to make it happen.

“Sometimes it is not just regulators that are the roadblock but it could be a group of people or special interest group.

“Those entrepreneurs tell us that they give up because they cannot wait the time it takes to turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ because they need to earn money.

“Good ideas just die on the vine.”

Mr Jones declined to give specific examples — but said it was a big enough concern to get special attention in the island’s six-year tourism plan.

He added: “We do believe that it is preventing new Bermudian entrepreneurship in the tourism economy.

“We want the number of Bermudians who own a piece of the industry to increase as well. But the culture of ‘no’ is something that we need to overcome.”

He was speaking at a presentation to the English Speaking Union last Wednesday at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Paget.

The talk — Bermuda Tourism: The Island’s Track Record of Success and her Roadmap for Future Growth — included surveys that involved more than 4,000 residents, visitors, non-visitors and tourism industry figures.

Small businesses lost out on a commercial opportunity at Shelly Bay Beach in Hamilton Parish last summer when a pressure group helped to shut down a plan to set up concessions.

Jamahl Simmons, then minister of economic development, axed the proposal after opposition from residents in the area.

The survey also showed that visitors were not satisfied with Bermuda’s nightlife, public transport, museum experiences and value for money.

Mr Jones said that the BTA did not have the power to tackle these complaints, but it was able to help indirectly.

He highlighted when the BTA worked with the entertainment industry to help make the Made in Bermuda Nights on White’s Island last summer a success.

The Bermuda Tourism Authority Amendment Act 2018, passed at the end of last year, gave the Government the power to appoint board members.

Mr Jones said that the tourism plan would probably not be affected by the change.

He added: “We have created a plan that a lot of people collaborated on; it should withstand, no matter which personalities are calling the shots.

“I think the plan has staying power.”