A Visitor’s View: Tourism & St George’s
[Written by Thomas Griffin, a frequent visitor to Bermuda for over 35 years]
In the Summer of 1973 I visited the island of Bermuda for the first time. My sisters had visited the island numerous times before me throughout the 1960s. I was a junior in high school, a year from graduation, and it was a glorious time to be in this paradise called Bermuda. It was my turn now to keep up with the family tradition of visiting this island.
Since that first visit I have landed upon the island by plane and by ship more than 25 times. I’ve brought my children and grandchildren to Bermuda too, and will continue to do so until I am not able!
Bermuda was a short and rather inexpensive trip from Boston back then. Like everything else in life the cost to vacation in Bermuda has skyrocketed. Back then it cost $99.00 for a roundtrip ticket. Recently we spent nearly $450.00 roundtrip. Still worth it but very costly now! During my early years visiting the island I always loved wandering into St. Georges. Walking from store to store you would be greeted by locals who embraced you as family. They cared where you came from and how long you were staying. They told you how they were doing and how their families were doing. You arrived as a visitor and left as a friend. Every time I’d return to St. Georges and went back into those same stores the workers remembered you. You picked up the conversation where it left off the previous year. Last month while stopping in a store for a soda the clerk barely had time to look her customer in the eyes to say “thank you” let alone put her cell phone down.
Walking throughout St. Georges last month I noticed too many stores closed and abandoned. What happened? What happened to my quaint little area of Bermuda that many people adore? I understand the economy has affected every corner of the world, but other areas of Bermuda seem to be thriving! What gives? Seems a lot of resources have been poured into The Dockyards. Hamilton will see massive development too to welcome big business in the coming years. What about St. Georges???
My wife and I stayed at Aunt Nea’s in last month and we could not have had a better time. Accommodations were lovely and hospitality was grand. Kudos to the staff there! We saw something, however, that we have never witnessed before. While enjoying a mild night from the second floor porch and watching the sun set in the harbor we were pelted with pebbles from a neighboring property. Some young boys started throwing small rocks at us. Boys will be boys? Perhaps – but the pebble tossing is symptomatic of larger issues.
What St. Georges needs is to reclaim its former glory as pristine and receptive of old friends and newcomers too. St. Georges needs civic leaders, political allies, teachers and religious leaders to restore its tradition of being the hidden jewel of the island. St. Georges needs to make it affordable for businesses to open and remain in business for years to come – no quick fix! All of this and much more is needed now before the area becomes a blemish on a gorgeous island and tourists go elsewhere. This is not just about the tourist industry. This is about making it affordable for Bermudians to operate small businesses in this and other areas of the island. This is about reclaiming what St. Georges was just a few years ago. Let’s get it done!
