Bermuda Needs Hotel Development Plan, Says Tourism Minister

Bermuda’s struggling tourism industry must develop a master plan for hotel development that promotes faster regulation, new labor practices and financial incentives for developers, said Shawn Crockwell, the island’s tourism minister, told government officials yesterday.

Bermuda’s recent Hotel Development and Investment Summit outlined the need for “financial incentives and guarantees for hospitality development” to reverse Bermuda’s declining tourism numbers and stagnant hotel growth, said Crockwell in a Bermuda Royal Gazette report.

Bermuda tourism stakeholders should also explore needs mixed-use hotel and resort properties that incorporate residential areas, “modernize” local labor practices and institute “more relevant and aggressive sales and marketing,” said Crockwell. Bermuda’s Tourism Board is creating a report for the country’s Economic Development Committee for review and to help guide tourism policy, he said.

Crockwell recently announced a public referendum will be held on the institution of casino gaming in Bermuda. Casinos are viewed as a potential means to invigorate the country’s flagging hotel development and tourism arrivals, which are down six percent this year.

Source: Travel Pulse, http://www.travelpulse.com/bermuda-needs-hotel-development-plan-says-tourism-minister.html