It is all about Bermudians. It is all about the product provider & what they want. It is not about what the customer wants at all.

Sad to see so many comments from people who get only fleeting contact with visitors, if they get any contact at all.

Very few jobs provide the opportunity for real getting to know visitors & what they want. Taxi drivers doing tours get that chance. Charter fishermen & particularly their mates get that chance. Tourboat operators doing small group private charters get that chance. These are people who have hours of one on one contact.

The casual chat across a busy bar does not count for much. Neither does a front desk, a concierge, a diningroom or housekeeping job provide much chance to really get to know visitors.

While I’m less than impressed with Hanbury et al the one statement that Bermuda is not in the Carribean says that he’s definitely doing a better job than recent tourism ministers have done.

But yes, 2009/400th year was a missed opportunity.

Bermuda didn’t get cable tv until the mid 90′s. One of the reasons for keeping it out was due to the influence on society.
American TV has been broadcast in Bermuda since the mid 40′s though.

There is enough Caribbean influence in Bermuda to merit it being part and parcel of our offerings, as Hanbury clarified in his speech. And there is no reason why we can’t embrace the multiple influences in what makes Bermuda special. If the focus to our target demographics is the British influences, so be it. But putting aside any Caribbean/West Indian input does a disservice both to us and our potential visitors.

That should be our campaign = Come to Bermuda and do Nothing and best of all you don’t have to feel guilty. Exchange the blue light on your devices for Star Lights, Let the Tree Frogs drown out your cell phone, Listen to the grass grow and watch paint dry…leave Bermuda refreshed with Ocean Spray, warm rain and Sand between your toes…

Do you see why some people laugh at us?

Being Bermudian is not a talent or ability – it is an accident of origin.

Dumb and Dumber.

Fact: Americans love things British. Give them a bit of Britain.
Don’t waste time on culture in the Caribbean. it is meaningless to Americans. Walton’s spouting off today was just to get people going emotionally. It was idiotic.

Give them British stuff. Pomp, ceremony, tea at 4pm. That will get them here. Forget the Carnival – they can get that in the Caribbean!

I get the point of the pitch in a sense – there are things that make us stand out as more desirable instead of being cold (no pun) lumped into the ‘caribbean’ boat i.e. distance, travel time, but we have to be careful not to send the wrong message about our identity.

Now stop being xenophobic.

You know the decision that resulted in the shutting down of the NY DoT office and the loss of jobs for the Bermudian civil servants that were employed there.

Your screen name is apt. Keep it.

Huh?

What the heck does that mean?

Give customers what they want. Don’t be trying to ram stuff down their throats that they have no interest in.

David Dodwell had more hands on experience than anyone but he was not a really good good salesman. The greatest was Jim Woolridge. A master salesman who could sell sand to the Arabs if he put his mind to it. Before him was Shorty Trimingham who was well known by the clientel of people we wanted. He was also a pretty good salesman having a very personal interest in Bermuda doing well through the family business.

It would be nice if from within the BTA another Jim Woolridge or Shorty Trimingham rises to take Hanburys place. Much better to have a Bermudian who is passionate about Bermuda being top salesman/woman.

Didn’t seem to do us any good.

Keep up the good work BTA

Only a Bermudian can sell Bermuda,not some bloody outsider.