The island nation of Bermuda is going all out to encourage and increase tourism this year. The Bermuda government has brought in new consultants, and advertising agencies have been brought in as part of Bermuda's aggressive efforts to differentiate the island nation from other destinations.
"Visitors expect five-star service ... but service standards all over the world have outpaced ours," Dr. Ewart Brown, Bermuda's minister of tourism, said recently in a speech at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel.
Brown outlined five goals for the industry, developed in conjunction with the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism:
To increase air arrivals to 400,000 over the next three years; achieve the daily carrying capacity through effective management; increase visitor satisfaction by 10 percent; increase the per-person visitor spending by seven percent; and increase the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the Bermuda Tourism Department.
Bermuda, just a few hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina, has for years been a popular golf retreat for Americans, Canadians and Brits. The Mid Ocean Golf Club, by Charles Blair Macdonald, is one of the world's most revered layouts.
Next door, the Tucker's Point Golf Club (the former Castle Harbour course) has emerged as a Bermuda "must play" since it reopened in 2002. And last January, Tucker's Point opened its new, 20,000-square-foot clubhouse that features sweeping views of the course's starting and finishing holes.
The past few years, however, Bermuda has seen a decline in overall tourism as the Caribbean islands and Mexico destinations such as Cancun and Cozumel have increased their marketing campaigns to attract tourists.
To increase arrivals, Brown said Bermuda's Ministry of Tourism will be operating throughout a number of markets this year, including the "feeder market" through hubs such as Miami. For example, the new American Airlines flight from Miami has opened up the route to Bermuda from Los Angeles. In addition, Brown said, a lot of attention is being focused on the European market -- Germany and Italy in particular.
Bermuda will have to be adapted to meet target markets, Brown said, but "we will make the Bermuda product relevant to the target audience."
Copyright 2005 PGA.com. All rights reserved.
