BHA Support Airport Redevelopment Project
The Bermuda Hotel Association said they are “putting their full support behind the plan to redevelop the L. F. Wade International Airport,” saying they “recognize the need for Bermuda” to “have a first class airport terminal.”
“The members of the Bermuda Hotel Association are fully in support of the proposed Airport Redevelopment plan,” stated Stephen Todd, the BHA Chief Executive Officer.
“As an association, and key industry partner and employer, which provides hotel and guest accommodations to our business and leisure travelers, we recognize the need for Bermuda, as an international destination to have a first class airport terminal that fully meets and satisfies the needs of our local and international travelers.
“Our island can no longer be satisfied with continuing to invest taxpayer funds in affecting ongoing repairs to an aging airport facility which is sorely in need of replacement.
“It is the major gateway to our island that forms the first impression of Bermuda for everyone who arrives by air, and must pass through this deteriorating structure that is plagued with ongoing maintenance challenges.
“In the view of the association members as taxpayers, it is our opinion that collectively, as a country, we are simply wasting money on a facility that is no longer sustainable.
“The ability for Bermuda to attract and grow our tourism product has an extremely high reliance on airline passengers who are the backbone to our economic sustainability, and as such the planned redevelopment of the airport must proceed as a high priority, without further delay, and the Bermuda Hotel Association fully supports the legislation which is to be tabled and debated in the House of Assembly later this week.
“We encourage the wider community to recognize and support the need for this important project to proceed, as it will provide not only the creation of employment opportunities during the construction phase, it will also result in the island, across all industry sectors, to create a significant number of jobs, as well as benefits in the longer term through additional sources of revenue, which the new airport facility will be the catalyst for this much needed and anticipated economic growth.”
“The Bermuda Hotel Association members stand ready to play our part in ensuring the future growth of the economy, in the form of projected increased hotel occupancy, employment opportunities, and overall enhanced year round sustainability of our hospitality/ hotel industry, as well as that of Bermuda, as we position ourselves to compete for the future business of the international traveler, in an increasingly competitive worldwide market.”
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Thats a no brainer,U.B.P. supports U.B.P.
Onion Juice, Mr. Todd ran for the PLP in the last election.
Stephen Todd ran as a PLP candidate in 2012 dreamer.
Bwaaaaaahaaaahaaaa
OJ you are the original no brainer.
What a complete idiot you are OJ. You can’t seem to help showing off your ignorance at every turn.
Dear Mr Todd and Mr Harvey,
A new airport is not going to increase the amount of bed night guests that visit Bermuda’s hotels.
Your children and grandchildren will have to pay 30% income tax in 5 years to raise the Government Contribution to meet AECON’s minimum hurdle rate.
Don’t sell your souls to support an airport just because you need a paycheck now until retirement, come one you lot don’t you listen to Larry Burchall.
Who is Harvey? Hasn’t been with BHA for years.
Where was your concern about your children and grandchildren when the PLP were running $400mn deficits? Or when they were building a hospital WING (not a hospital as they would have you believe) that now drives our healthcare costs through the roof.
This airport deal will do nothing of the sort that you and your team are trying to portray.
Why should anyone consider your financial concerns to be sincere, when you sat at your desk and allowed the PLP to destroy our government finances to enrich themselves?
show proof the PLP enriched themselves….seems to me the OBA gonna do just that fill their own pockets !
So why did the PLP lose the last election?
show proof the OBA is going to enrich themselves.
How much was it to build that retaining wall at warf? how much was it to repair it? Was it needed? appartently it wasn’t so why was it built? Willing to bet if we got the correct figures it was built for way cheaper then what was charged and the differance ( the profit ) went into the builder’s pocket and remind again who was incharge of that??
@drunken ursula….wow… you comment, “show proof the PLP enriched themselves”…. and than state, “seems to me the OBA gonna do just that fill their own pockets !”…. wait; you don’t see what you just did…. where is YOUR proof…Lot of proof however being SHOWN during COI…. remember that investigation into deals like say….Port Royal Golf Course…
SMH
@ Double S,
Exactly, spot on!!
I do not recall all this fuss when the BHB and PLP were planning the new ACW. What did that venture really cost and why was it necessary to undertake certain design changes when the medic- tourism idea fell thru? No-one seems willing to provide the final construction cost details. Is a House debate called for- even at this late hour? In regard to the proposed new Airport Terminal- the security aspect- or non security- does not receive any mention. This is one of the main reasons for the necessity to build a new terminal. There is no security of note from leaving the current Terminal to the aircraft or upon alighting the aircraft to enter the Terminal other than a few airport personnel standing around. The exposure for a mad man/terrorist exists. Permanent covered ways are required from the Terminal to the aircraft – thus protecting passengers crew et al.
Well of course they support it… the rich and elite are always in .. and 30 years from now what does it matter to them whether it’s the common Bermudians airport or not ?
More money for them!!
The BHA is 100% Bermudian. Their kids same as your kids.
Is this the same Stephen Todd who ran as a candidate for the PLP in 2012? Yet he is in full support of the proposed development?
Many Bermudians support the building of a new airport but what is at issue is whether the present plan by the government is the best value for money. The Hotel associations endorsement does not help us in that regard.
As a tax paying Bermudian, I totally would like to see my tax paying dollars go toward an Airport and a causeway I don’t have to be embarrassed about. It is long overdue. Departure lounge to overcrowded when there are multiple flights, to much Bandaid work to airport and causeway over the years. Just look up ‘Bailey’s Bridge’ on the Internet, see the lifespan of them. They are temporary. Our two on the causeway do not have many years of life left before age causes stress cracks and so forth. Heavy truck loads daily, sometimes multiple trucks seen at the same time crossing. Examples on the Internet of problems that have been allowed to occur by not replacing them on time! Let’s not just keep talking about a new causeway since Fabian, but let’s put a new and proper sized bridge up to accommodate additional lanes , pedestrians and pedal cycles on the side.
The question , of course is , the lead up to the start of these projects. If the money I have contributed will turn into another country’s pocket for the next 20 or 30 years, then there may be a lot to be desired.
Your money isn’t going into another country’s pocket, please please read what is going on. Your tax dollars are being used in Bermuda, this airport is being built by a Canadian company who will be taking the profits from the airport but given that they are footing the bill for the project would you not agree that is fair?
Tax dollars should be used for the causeway but i’m sure that is low on the list of things tax dollars go to. But again let me state your tax dollars are not going into another country’s pocket.
You can be certain the PLP will not build a new airport for less money than this approach. Remember, the PLP’s definition of “value for money” is cost overruns and the CoI. The Hotel Association has a bigger stake in the airport than anyone. Don’t diminish their position.
@ clearasmud,
While I agree with you on your point that the Hotel Association’s endorsement of the airport plan doesn’t mean we will get value for money, what would?. We didn’t receive value for money from numerous other projects particularly under the PLP. It didn’t matter that they were tendered or sole sourced, we got taken to the cleaners and that’s a fact!.
At this point I’m prepared to say to the govt, get on with it! We need a new terminal, People need jobs as well and this project will help in that regard.
Progress
Progressive
Makes us sounds like we are pointed in the direction of the future.
We aren’t because we are so focused on our own “little” doctrines
God help the party and god help Bermuda.