Comments on: “Mismanagement Must Not Continue”

By: Observer of Bermuda

Observer of Bermuda — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:56 +0000

Unfortunately you all make great responses and observations about the power struggles on managing budgets and the stakeholders that need to be a ppart of the planning ideas going forward.
What i see is that you first need to change the product and stop going after that high end market and getting rich quick and go after everyone young and old, rich and working class, as these are the people that will spend the money and start to rejuvenate the economy. Secondly you need to stop dragging out the processes of allowing investors to build hotels and get on with building them as this will bring money into the island and provide jobs for the masses and start to boost the economy again.
Once these things start to happen and people STOP talking about it we will be a Tourism destination that people will enjoy once again.

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:59:01 +0000

Let’s just go with #1 and let the experts create the plan or better, ie, simply follow the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism Plan..

By: itwasn't me

itwasn't me — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:36:03 +0000

My plan is better than Govt and UBP put together

(1) Dismantle the Department of Tourism and fund a Tourism board

(2) Cut all tourisim based taxes in half to stimulate Hotel projects

(3) Assisgn all advertising scheduling to the Dept of Communications

(4) Grease the palms of major travel agencies

(5) Work with low cost airlines and hotels to offer attractive air/hotel packages

(6) Support ‘tourist only’ areas, nude beaches, casino’s and other entertainment

By: Triangle Drifter

Triangle Drifter — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:57:03 +0000

Back when there was no internet, no real competition for Bermuda it took decades to build the Bermuda product, establish a market, build relationships with solid marketing firms & travel agents. All of this was overseen in Bermuda by people with experience. People with a plan & a vision of where to take Bermuda.

The rot started with the regular industrial unrest in the 70s. Remember breakfast tabletop dancing at Sonesta? In the summer of 1981 a big nail was put in the tourism coffin with a general strike & taxis refusing to deliver escaping tourists to the airport. They had to walk, in the blazing sun, carrying their bags to the terminal. Through the 80s & 90s tourism continued to decline. Bermuda had gotten too expensive & there were now other places to go. Bermuda also took its eye off the ball & turned to IB thinking tourism would always be there.

Tourism coasted along, slowly going downhill.

1998 we get the impossible promise to turn tourism in 100 days. The ignorant sheeple believed it & voted in the PLP.

Since 1998 tourism gained speed going downhill till the arrival of Minister Ewart Brown when it went into virtual freefall with all the hairbrained self indulging promotions which did nothing.

Now Bermuda sits at the bottom of the heap. Destinations which learned from the Bermuda model in the 70s are laughing at us. We are a bunch of fools. We killed the golden goose.

We are closer to the largest market than any of our competitors. We can’t screw that asset up. To revive tourism there needs to be a seismic change of attitude towards work & what value we provide for the money we charge. If we charge 6 star prices we had better give the service to match.

Bermuda, Whatcha gonna do?

By: One Love

One Love — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:51:01 +0000

Sir Cole…but they did have a plan. A plan that several of your colleagues at the UBP would have played a part in developing. A plan that was directed by some very, very, very birght folk. A plan that had the input from over 240 tourism industry folk (Hotel GM’s, Directors of Sales&Marketing; Restuarant owners;Retail shop owners,Tourist attraction/excursion owners; All of the B’s, Bermuda Hotel Association, Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Bermuda International Business Association; Taxi Operators; Key government Ministries– Tourism,Finance, Transportation, Works & Engineering; Cultural Affairs etc;major service &distribution partners — airlines, cruise lines; tour operators etc.
That plan was the B.A.T. Plan…a plan that cost this coutry over $700,000. The problem Sir Cole, is simple, managing a $35M budget is heady stuff and is tough for some folks to give up. The plan called for a non partisan, private sector / public sector authority but again, relinquishing control is tough for most folks.

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:49:37 +0000

Cole..There is no question that the PLP have failed miserably in the tourism arena as well as handling education and the economy in general, however, please let’s not forget that it was the UBP that championed Bermuda’s significant move to International Business and away from Tourism. This massive policy shift resulted in huge profits for many, however, it also simultaneously created the need to increase salaries in all sectors, to ensure that the ave guy could afford the ever increasing COL.

The Bermudian hotel worker ( foreign workers that live in are significantly sheltered, hence the reason working in Bermuda is still hugely attractive to them ) is in the main Joe Ave, and as such, must find a way to earn sufficient funds to make ends meet in our false paradise.

I am very interested in your views on the report crafted by the Monitor Group. Their recommendations are pragmatic and achievable. Brace yourself because it will require politicians to admit what they already know, which is, that they no very little about tourism, albeit just enough to get them and this entire country in trouble. That is indisputable..

By: bill

bill — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:15:55 +0000

ya a bunch of record executive wannabee’s