| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 29/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 55 |
| Copyright: Other |
BERMUDA
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club: the island has an upmarket feel about it and tourist chiefs are keen to differentiate it from the CaribbeanA new administration in Bermuda has prompted a fresh tourism approach.
Lois Jones reports
The first change of government in 35 years in Bermuda is already affecting the country’s tourism. After such a long spell under one democratically elected party, Bermudians voted for the Progressive Labour Party last year headed by premier Jennifer Smith.Bermuda Tourism director Ian Parker said: “It’s not that there’s more money being poured into tourism in overall terms but there’s more of a focus now on Bermudian culture – Bermudian cooking, ecology and arts.”
He cites the new Film Festival, the first of which was in April this year, July’s Tall Ship Regatta, the Jazz Festival in September and the World Rugby Classic in November as examples of cultural and sporting highlights.
Part of the reason for this new focus is to attempt to establish Bermuda as more than just a beach destination. “We’re not just selling it as a beach product. We are beginning to sell it more as a short-break destination and want to promote activities such as golf, tennis and scuba,” said Parker.
Misconceptions about this self-governing British colony are rife.
Although several operators include the destination in their Caribbean brochures, Bermuda Tourism says it is important for agents to realise that it is not part of the Caribbean – in fact, it is 1,000 miles away from there.
“For a start, the seasons are totally different. What’s more, Bermuda is a lot more sophisticated and developed than a Caribbean island. It has the third or fourth highest standard of living in the world and you won’t see any tin shacks or ghettos in the area. It’s a total island resort – tourism is developed all over the island,” said Parker.
Indeed, Bermuda is a semi-tropical and not a tropical island like the Caribbean; it doesn’t have any hurricanes and doesn’t have a rainy season. “As the seasons are different, our pricing is completely different, which can be confusing in brochures. One of our key requirements is to differentiate ourselves from the Caribbean,” added Parker.
Another key message Parker wants to convey is the ease of access from the UK. Just a 6hr 30mins flight from London and less than 2hrs from New York and Boston with regular non-stop flights, Bermuda is the closest coral island to Britain.
As well as the standard long-haul holiday, Bermuda is near enough for a short break. An increasingly popular option is the shop and flop two-centre short break incorporating a three-day stop in New York, Boston or Toronto followed by four or five restful days in Bermuda.
Hayes and Jarvis offers an eight-night package, comprising three nights at New York’s Avalon Hotel and five at Bermuda’s Ariel Sands for a December lead-in price of £1,110, climbing to £2,159 in July. Tradewinds offers a similar seven-night package (three in New York, four in Bermuda) for £1,049 in January.
Last year, almost 563,000 people visited Bermuda – nearly 10 tourists to every one of the island’s 59,000 population. More than 8% were from the UK, according to Bermuda Tourism statistics. Most UK operators report that Bermuda has been a steady niche performer for the last few years.
Product manager Caribbean for Thomas Cook Holidays, Mac Campbell, explained: “It is one of our smaller destinations but it is bouncing along.” Thomas Cook offers a portfolio of seven properties throughout the region.
Campbell said one particularly popular option is its seven-day, all-inclusive stay at the Harmony Club which costs £1,925 for seven nights in July.
Product manager Caribbean at Hayes and Jarvis Paul Shields agreed that the all-inclusive stay at the Harmony Club has been its strongest seller. “It’s a nice, steady performer and the trend has generally been upwards for the island as a whole,” he said.
However, some operators are experiencing more impressive growth. Tradewinds marketing manager Mark Blewitt said: “Our sales are up 50% on last year. The increase is largely because we have doubled the product and doubled the brochure coverage and our prices are competitive.”
The operator is planning to expand further over next year after securing extra space at its existing South Shore properties of Stonington Beach, Harmony Club and the Southampton Princess.
A seven-day, all-inclusive stay at the Harmony Club costs £1,787 in the July peak season.
IN THIS SECTION
n getting to know bermuda
Retailers give their views on theirexperiences of the island while Bermuda Tourism steps up its three-part specialist agent training scheme.
page 57
n niche interests lift appeal
Although Bermuda is successfully tapping into the family market, water sports holidays and weddings are becoming top draws.
page 56