Struggling businesses in Hamilton and St George’s could be forced to shut up shop if smaller cruise ships are not signed up for the two harbours, tourism chief Bill Hanbury warned yesterday.

Mr Hanbury said: “There will be another round of businesses going out if we don’t fix that. It’s a very high priority for us.”

He added that the new Bermuda Tourism Authority was soon to petition cruise lines based in the US and London in a bid to secure regular smaller-sized cruise callers.

Mr Hanbury said that delivering cruise ship passengers to Hamilton and the East End would also “balance out” the current cruise ship monopoly enjoyed by Dockyard, where large ships can berth.

He added he had visited St George’s earlier this year and said he had spoken to “a lot of people who are very concerned there is not enough foot traffic to support business.

“If we don’t improve cruise ship traffic to St George’s, more businesses will close.”

Mr Hanbury said that the main business centre of Hamilton was “in better shape” but restaurants and retailers were still suffering.

He added: “The reality there too is that there needs to be more vitality in downtown Hamilton. None of them are feeling the level of business is viable for ongoing, sustainable businesses.

“We need more visitors on our streets and participating in restaurant and retail activity across the city.”

Mr Hanbury said he welcomed shipping line Holland America’s decision to bring back the Veendam — once a weekly visitor — to Hamilton harbour next year.

He added: “That’s a great sign and hopefully an indication to other cruise lines that there is a vitality in the Bermuda product they can tap into.”

Mr Hanbury said: “It’s something we’ve got to work at and do the best we can to attract more ships.

“Even one or two ships on a regular basis into one of these ports is high value to the country’s economy.”

Mr Hanbury was speaking after a briefing session at the BTA’s HQ in Hamilton’s Church Street yesterday.

He added that — as part of a refocusing of the tourism effort to get more bang for Bermuda’s buck — resources would be concentrated on key sectors and well-off tourists more likely to book holidays in a more upmarket destination.

Mr Hanbury said that the existing huge cruise ships from lines like Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity were able to look after themselves.

He said: “We are not expending resources on cruise visitors — we are leaving that to the cruise line industry. Our focus in on air arrivals,”

“Many of our cruise ship visitors are not at the upper end of the market — we’re not wasting resources going after these folks.”