Tourism Board Two Day Strategic Retreat
[Updated with videos] This afternoon [Mar.29] Business Development & Tourism Minister Patrice Minors, along with members of the Bermuda Tourism Board held a press conference to update on progress made thus far.
The Tourism Board will hold a two day “Strategic Retreat: on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1, which Chairman Malcolm Butterfield said, “will serve as the foundation for allowing us as a Board to develop the scope and terms of reference for our National Strategic Plan.”
Mr Butterfield went on to say that, “Specific plans for the Strategic Retreat will be rolled out starting this week and over the next five weeks. Research will be carried out and completed as regards our visitor profile and our Tourism market and product offerings . An analysis of available Tourism material and data will be carried out.”
Audio of Mr. Butterfield’s statement:
“Not withstanding our mandate to produce a National Strategic Plan for Bermuda’s Tourism Industry, it must be clearly understood by everyone here in Bermuda that our National Strategic Plan will not be the ‘Board’s’ Plan but it will be the ‘Country’s’ Plan,” concluded Mr Butterfield.
Minister Minors said, “According to our 2009 statistics, Tourism remained the number one private sector employer of Bermudians – this includes restaurants, hotel properties, retailers etc.This represents 70 % of our labour force. So the efforts that we engage in to ensure that it thrives must be a collective one, involving all Bermudians.”
Audio of Minister Minor’s statement:
On December 30, 2010, Minister Minors announced the new members of the Bermuda Tourism Board, which include Chairman Malcolm Butterfield, Deputy Chairman Jonathan Crellin, Brian Duperrault, Wendell “Shine” Hayward, Kelly Francis, Tony Brannon, Quinton Bean, Vincent Ingham, Randolph Horton, and Maxwell Burgess. They join returning members Michelle Cox, Sallie Singleton, Isabelle Braxton and Anthony Santucci on the Board.
Minister Minor’s full statement follows below:
Good afternoon and thank you for joining me.
I think that we can all agree that despite the global financial challenges being experienced, tourism is still seen as a critical component to Bermuda’s economy.
We all have a stake in tourism. There isn’t anyone in this community – from the private sector to the public sector… from our friends to our family members – who can say that they don’t have a vested interest in the success of Bermuda’s tourism product.
According to our 2009 statistics, Tourism remained the number one private sector employer of Bermudians – this includes restaurants, hotel properties, retailers etc.
This represents 70 % of our labour force. So the efforts that we engage in to ensure that it thrives must be a collective one, involving all Bermudians.
Ladies and gentlemen, I must note that since the beginning of 2011 we have seen some encouraging signs in the industry.
We have seen increases in our arrival numbers in the months of January and February, and March’s numbers are showing some positive glimmers. Our hoteliers are also seeing some signs of improvement, with our property bookings either near capacity or at full capacity for the upcoming months.
And so I look forward to providing a comprehensive report on the 2011 first quarter arrival figures in due course.
Ladies and gentlemen, a critical component of our tourism recovery involves the development of a National Tourism Plan. You’ll recall that in December we appointed a new tourism board whose makeup of members is more aligned with the Ministry and its mandate.
The Tourism Board is also charged with facilitating the framework for the creation of the Plan. The Plan will provide a strategic focus in enacting both short and long term goals for the success of our tourism product. The Plan will involve critical input from all stakeholders both public and private sector and so today we are here to provide the public with an update of the Board’s progress thus far.
In a moment, Board Chair, Mr. Malcolm Butterfield will provide you with a comprehensive update about their steps forward. I believe that there has been considerable discussion on how to tackle this urgent matter with strategic focus and the inclusion of Tourism’s many and varied stakeholders and I wish to thank the Chairman and the Board members for taking the time set this course with clarity of the mission and purpose.
I am confident that once the National Tourism Plan is completed, it will not only reflect the synergy of our twin economic pillars, but it will pave the way for a new and exciting way of doing business which we believe will result in great success for all of Bermuda.
I’d like to turn it over to Tourism Board Chairman Mr. Malcolm Butterfield who will share with you the Board’s progress.
Thank you.
Mr Butterfield’s full statement follows below:
Bermuda’s Tourism Board was appointed on January 1,2011 and our primary objective is to lead the process of producing a National Strategic Plan for Bermuda’s Tourism Industry . In achieving this goal, the Board has established an effective relationship with Minister Minors and the Department of Tourism and to ensure a proper and balanced integration of current and ongoing Tourism initiatives for 2011 the Board is providing direction, advice and leadership in refocusing and rebuilding a viable Tourism product for 2011 and beyond. The Board’ specific activities and achievements since our formation included a number of meetings and one of our meetings in early March was a three hour facilitated session with the Board and representatives of the Department of Tourism . Sub- committees of the Board had separate meetings to address various areas of the Tourism Industry from both a current and future prospective . The results of these various meetings will be covered in the balance of this statement .
The Board’s achievements cannot be met without the use of various specific resources and therefore our plans going forward will involve establishing focused dialogue with key Tourism stakeholders and creating the right relationships with the best resources available to us as a Board . As I mentioned earlier, there have been several discussions and meetings and the Board has reached a number of conclusions that in our view will place Bermuda in a more positive and sound position as a leading Tourist destination in the months and years ahead. Our key conclusions are as follows :
- In order for us to move forward effectively and from a results driven perspective, Bermuda at key levels must have a clear and supported view of the profile of visitors that will choose our island for their travel needs and more importantly what are the specific attractions that these tourists will be looking for to ensure complete visitor satisfaction.
- Bermuda will need to establish and execute sound and well thought out Tourism initiatives for the balance of 2011 and at the same time forge ahead and carefully navigate the production of our National Strategic Plan that we all as a whole can embrace and implement over the next several months and perhaps years .
- Increasing and maintaining tourist visitor arrivals through 2011 and beyond is a key component of our success as a Tourist destination but just as critical to a successful strategy is to have a definitive plan that will bring our island some key confirmed results that will lead to the establishment and the realization of major hotel developments . These type of capital developments will require us all to change our thinking and our focus for the future of Tourism on many perspectives .
- Tourism stakeholders in Bermuda must adopt a measured but dynamic mindset and we must not execute our initiatives and plans from a crisis perspective .To create the concepts and context for moving our Tourist Industry forward, the Tourism Board has decided to hold a two day Strategic Retreat on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1 . This Retreat will serve as the foundation for allowing us as a Board to develop the scope and terms of reference for our National Strategic Plan . The Board will engage with relevant Tourism Stakeholders on this important initiative and these stakeholders will be required to bring their view and thoughts on a “ Retreat” environment . It has been confirmed that the two facilitators for this Strategic Retreat will be Peter Yesawich (overseas facilitator) and Dr. Janet Ferguson (local facilitator) . Both of these individuals are accomplished facilitators .
- Specific plans for the Strategic Retreat will be rolled out starting this week and over the next five weeks. Research will be carried out and completed as regards our visitor profile and our Tourism market and product offerings . An analysis of available Tourism material and data will be carried out . We will be unveiling plans that will effectively allow the Board to engage with relevant Tourism Stakeholders, sectors of the wider business community and the public . The Board is actively working towards achieving positive and solid outcomes from the Strategic Retreat and to ensure the best way forward we are encouraging both our Tourism stakeholders and our local and international business leaders and stakeholders to embrace this major event in Bermuda’s Tourism industry . The main deliverable of the Strategic Retreat is that it will provide the groundwork, scope and terms of reference for our National Strategic Plan for Bermuda’s Tourism Industry.
The Board certainly appreciates and realizes the anxiety that exists across all segments of Bermuda with respect to our Tourism Industry which is understandable given that Tourism is one of the two pillars of our economy . However, the Tourism Board has been approaching our mandate with a sense of purpose and passion and it is our collective expectation that Bermuda’s tourism product will emerge in the right direction in the coming months and years ahead . Notwithstanding our mandate to produce a National Strategic Plan for Bermuda’s Tourism Industry , it must be clearly understood by everyone here in Bermuda that our National Strategic Plan will not be the “ Board’s “ Plan but it will be the “Country’s “ Plan. Therefore , it is our overriding objective to ensure that this plan embraces the views of all sectors of our community .
Dear Minister please consider committing to Tourism portfolio on a full time basis for at least 6 months so that this new strategy and bermuda 1st report can be fully implemented. it will also get you reelected and revive our Tourism in the process so that we dont rely only on Tuckers Point, Morgans Point or the hotel down in St Georges by Tobacco Bay
thank you.
Simply dust off the Monitor led Bermuda Alliance for Toirism plan,disband this group and get out of the way so real change can be implemented..
This board have no experience in tourism and looking to them to create a plan that is meaningful is confusing, albeit par for the course.
Do Honestly Think PLP and/or Tourism have a chance?
Much prefer if she admitted that she has no clue what she is doing, take the politics out of the equation and fund a group that know how to get it done..
The country doesn’t need people playing at this significant issue, it needs reputable and proven doers .. Move on !!!
Any chance of “tagging” the people in the photo. Not familiar with all of them. Thanks.
Whoose doze Vite people…….One looks like Madeline Albright and Hillary Clinton…….the guy wiff dee beard,……probabley owns sumtin…………
Oh please, are there really no marketing professionals in this country! Where is this retreat? if someone can let me know i will be sure to gatecrash. So much can be done online with a little vision and so little investment. I have effectively marketed Bermuda companies worldwide for less than $10 a day with global search. It’s so sad that we leave some of the most important decisions to small-minded uneducated people. hey, lets spend the marketing budget on a retreat! i’m so mad that you are throwing away one of the best tourist destinations in the world, this island is so beautiful, all you have to do is tell people about it, Why why why is that so difficult!
from Vite person…… Ha!
From the look of the Tourism Board no wonder we are having a problem with the Tourism product. A bunch of older and old bermudians that are remembering better times and using the same indicators and tools to attract that same client to the island. When they should be looking at any an every area and age group to be getting people flocking here for there vacations.
Also they need to be working with local stakeholders to create more packages so that when you are searching on the internet to book your vacation you won’t be turned off becasue of a four and five hundred dollar room rate a night. Lump airfare, hotel, and 1/2 off a dinner or something like that and everyone makes out.
But as I said earlier old board members equals old ideas which means no tourists to stay in the dwindling pool of beds because no one wants to make decisions on the real issues of 9Beaches, Club Med, Sonesta, and various other properties around the island that sit dormant.
Also the idea that having a hotel supplemented by condos, or fractional units doesn’t work here whoever told someone it did needs to stop lying to the powers that be. WE have ENOUGH condos what we need is beds that cater to the 1 year old baby to the 80 year old grandmother and everyone in between.
So please read this and open you minds to new ideas and thought processes as we are all in the sinking ship we call Bermuda.
The #1 contentious issue concerning the hotels grassroot or for new terminolgy ‘Front Facing Staff members/partners is the gratuity system. Get rid of it fast.It’s both unfair and unethical, it encourages laziness and apathy,of course this point of view was put forward many years ago and ignored at our own peril…This was the beginning of the nickle and diming of the goose that lay the golden egg.
Only a good solution if the hotel and restaurant industries increase base salaries to a level that allows the worker to survive in over priced Bermuda…
Another solution would be to reduce the insane salaries and bonuses paid to corporate types.This would reduce the cost of living in Bermuda, allowing the hotel worker to survive on their gratuity denied salaries…
Listen to Red. The BAT Plan was and with some minor tweaking still can be the best direction for the way forward.At some point we will stop playing politics with this industry and move forward with a group that have a vested interest not unlike NYC. The BAT plan provided that however, in order for it to be fully implemented the Department of Tourism would cease to be the meca of Tourism on island. It wouod be replaced by a private sector / public sector authprity.Of course that would be the end of full govenrment copntrol of the tourism budget, which is not a bad thing.13 years later and more of the same. Sad!!!
And this retreat is going to be held where, at what cost? Now I imagine that the hotel, at their expense, is going to ante up the rooms, so thank you that hotel, but the meals etc? Why not two days around a boardroom table with sandwiches?
I agree with Red his comment about the Monitor Group…I sure hope the Tourism Board will take a long look at that…hopefully they will have already done so. Between dusting off forgotten reports (paid for by us long-suffering tax-payers and ignored because of political hissy-fits) and looking at what other successful juristictions are up to (which is what others did of us in our hey-day….in fact we allowed our Government employees as far back in the 70s to travel overseas and give our success secrets away) half the job is already done. Don’t waste time trying to re-invent the wheel. Good luck though…..and hey…Have a drink on me while you are at it!
The Monitor report is the most comprehensive report written on & for Bermuda Tourism.
It was facilitated & written by extremely bright Ivy League types, after involving, in a significant manner, hundreds of individuals that had a vested interest in the outcomes.
To go down this path again, albeit with far less qualified individual is nonsense dressed in insanity. Having paid close to a million tax payers dollars for theis excellent report and not to use it, is criminal….
There is nothing progressive in or about the PLP.. Nada, Absolutely zilch…
When AIG had a retreat there was an almighty uproar. How can this government go on taxpayer funded jaunts and lavishly entertain themselves when they should be retreated in their own offices and working hard for the average person out there. It is unfathomable how they think they can get away with this. If the Premier / Finance Minister allows this to proceed then I seriously fear for the economic survival of Bermuda with such frivolous disregard for the public purse.