HAMILTON, Bermuda – Bermuda’s Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transport, convened a Tourism Summit today to discuss the performance of the Bermuda Tourism industry in the face of a global economic slowdown.
At the close of the Summit the Premier told attendees, “The energetic commitment of everyone at this table is clear and undeniable.”
Bermuda Hotel Association Chief John Harvey described the three hour-plus meeting as “very productive”.
The following industry partners were represented around the table:
– Bermuda Department of Tourism’s Integrated Team, lead by Acting Director of Tourism Ian MacIntyre
– Bermuda Hotel Association, lead by John Harvey
– Bermuda Alliance for Tourism, lead by hotelier Mike Winfield
– Bermuda Airport Operations, lead by L.F. Wade International Airport General Manager Aaron Adderley
– Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, lead by Diane Gordon
– Premier Brown, Minister; Sen. Marc Bean, Junior Minister and Marc Telemaque, Acting Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Tourism and Transport.
In all twenty people participated in the Summit.
Short, mid and long term tourism strategies were discussed.
Increased marketing presence in the New York market was among the solutions the summit agreed to action in the short term. More visitors come from New York than any other market. It is believed there is potential for more visitors from that market – particularly between November and March.
Increased availability of duty free shopping for visitors was among the solutions the summit agreed to action in the mid-term. The Chamber of Commerce reports some of its retailers have already begun talks with the Ministry of Finance to increase this tourism-specific offering. Post-visit research indicates this is one area Bermuda visitors would like to see more options.
L.F. Wade International Airport General Manager Aaron Adderley addresses a Tourism Summit convened by Bermuda’s Premier Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transport.
As a long term strategy, the Summit participants agreed to investigate Charlotte, North Carolina as a year-round market to pull visitors from. Charlotte is within 90-minutes of Bermuda and is the number six fastest growing city in the United States with a mean household income of $97,000. Population in Charlotte is projected to grow from 1.6 million today to 4.8 million by 2028, it was revealed at the Summit. At present there is seasonal air service between Bermuda and Charlotte.
The Summit participants agreed the aforementioned strategies could be tackled immediately, but other potential strategies, particularly as they relate to Canada and the U.K., would not be discussed publicly until more research could be done and more consultation could be conducted. Those inquiries and talks will begin straight away.
The Premier said, “From the moment we started the Summit people came to the table with solid ideas. We were able to immediately gauge feedback from our industry partners and agree on a way forward. I think everyone around the table would agree we made some progress today.”
Mr. Harvey said, “This was a very productive meeting. The Premier recommended we meet like this quarterly and all of us were on board with that. It’s important that we are on the same page as we deal with these economic conditions affecting travel.”
