Tourism Department Hosts 20 Travel Specialists
The Bermuda Department of Tourism [BDOT] hosted 20 travel specialists from North America this past week for a Bermuda Briefing Tour. The specialists represented travel and tour agencies from the United States and Canada. They were here to learn more about our hotels and attractions and gain first–hand experience the Bermuda product.
Pictured in the photo along with the agents are Minister Wayne Furbert; Bushara Bushara, Newstead Belmont Hills; Michael Williams, Rosewood Tucker’s Point; Chef Jean-Claude Garzia, David Dodwell Jr. and Earlston Dill and Robin Danes from BDOT.
During the familiarization trip, specialists visited hotels to learn all there is to know about the properties on the island. Bermuda Hotel Association hosted site visits at The Reefs, Rosewood Tucker’s Point, Rosedon, Coco Reefs, Newstead Belmont Hills, Pompano Beach, Grotto Bay Beach, Elbow Beach and Fairmont Southampton and Fairmont Hamilton Princess.
In between inspections of the properties, the groups had time to explore the island from the Royal Naval Dockyard to St George’s and s were able to take in the island from a visitor’s perspective.
Minister of Business Development and Tourism Wayne Furbert said, “We organized this trip as part of a strategy to raise awareness and increase leisure travel business from the North American market.
“We are pleased to host these Bermuda Briefing Tours to our island, for we know, the best way to sell our island as the best vacation destination is to see, experience and sample the best of what Bermuda has to offer.”
…shocking to see flip flop in the pic LOL. i thought he would have been in Guyana drumming up business or singing to the people there but you know what, he does like a photo shoot so i guess that is the reason why he stayed LOL
Do people still use travel agents for simple trips ?? I think not
did we sponsor this event?
Who uses travel specialists these days? More backward thinking by our tourism representatives.
You guys are missing the point. 20 “tourists” were added to the arrivals numbers for October.
Ringmaster now that was funny! no wonder they said the numbers went up and i bet flip flop added himself into the count too. LOL
you sure those are not blow up dolls pertending to be people all to up the tourism numbers LOL
o wait did flip flop sing bermuda is another world to these people? LOL
You guys sound like ungrateful spoiled brats. Then you wonder why tourism is going down the drain, because of closed minded people like you.
I work in the executive marketing offices of one of the hotels listed above and YES PEOPLE STILL DO USE TRAVEL AGENTS. A lot more than you think. In fact, majority of our arrivals come through travel agents. This was a great strategy done by the BDOT. Good job Minister Wayne Furbert. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Good Job. It is because travel agents still promote wonderful places like Bermuda that you have tourism numbers that you do. As a travel agent of 30 yrs we find that alot of people use the internet to book their travel until the first time they are stranded by a bankrupt airline or hotel or a medical emergency that requires someone that has access to every flight option available to assist them in their time of desperate need. The $25-50.00 we charge as a service fee for the knowledge we have aquired over the years soon becomes the best money ever spent.
I use an agent for every single trip, even simple ones. I think I get better options, and much better service if there are weather-related delays etc. it’s easily worth the small service fee.
One guy in the shot look suspiciously like Chef Jean-Claude who owns the restaurant at Newstead.
That would be because it IS him!
I’m really not sure of the value of these travel agent fam trips anymore. The internet is at our fingertips these days. We are swamped with info if we have the motivation to find it.
I remember well one time standing in the back of a very crowded conference room at the SP watching the Master of Sales, Jim Woolridge, in action. Awe inspiring! Before him was Shorty Trimingam as Tourism Minister. The two were the greatest.
Now we have, well, oh, never mind. lets just say tourism Ministers of the past 14 years have had an awful lot left to be desired.