BERMUDA has a reputation for being an expensive
destination, but one of the island’s most heart-warming
attractions is absolutely free.
Every weekday, come rain or shine, people heading in and out of
Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton, are greeted by a sprightly
80-year-old with an ear-to-ear grin who blows kisses, waves hello
and hollers greetings to passers by.
Johnny Barnes, or Mr Feelgood as he is known to his friends,
began his one-man quest to cheer up Bermuda 21 years ago and is now
a national institution and major tourist attraction.
Not that clients visiting the island really need Johnny to cheer
them up. For the vast majority of the time, Bermuda is an idyllic
island leaving holidaymakers little to complain about.
At just 21sq miles, Bermuda is compact and easy to get around.
Visitors are never more than a mile away from one of its numerous
pink coral beaches, many of which are tiny and deserted.
The streets are safe, the public transport is reliable and easy
to understand – pink bus stops are for buses heading towards
Hamilton, blue ones are for buses heading out – and, like
Johnny, there are plenty of colourful, friendly characters to
brighten the day.
If there is a downside, it’s the occasional hurricane or
tropical storm that affects the island.
A year ago, Bermuda was hit by one of the worst storms in living
memory, Hurricane Fabian, which caused millions of pounds worth of
damage to hotels and tourist attractions.
Fabian was forecast, but sometimes the weathermen miss them
altogether.
When I was on the island earlier this month, sub-tropical storm
Nicole came from nowhere, bringing with it two days of torrential
rain and winds of up to 65mph, causing the cancellation of the
island’s annual music festival.
But luckily this bad weather is as rare as the jet lag suffered
by holidaymakers arriving from the UK – a key selling point
agents should bear in mind.
Bermuda is four hours behind the UK and only a seven-hour flight
away.
British Airways’ direct service arrives in the early
evening, so visitors can have dinner and go to bed at a civilised
time, waking refreshed the next day.
The island is 900 miles north of the Caribbean, and just 90
minutes by air from New York and, although it’s quite
Americanised (the Bermudan dollar is equal to the US dollar and
both are used), this self-governing British territory delights in
its ‘Britishness’.
Fish and chips are a staple on most menus and re-enactments of
the use of the traditional Ducking Stool to punish ‘nags and
gossips’ takes place on most days in Bermuda’s second
town, St George’s. Apparently, Tony Blair and family watched
the show when they holidayed on the island a few weeks ago.
If further evidence of Bermuda’s British connection was
required, a visit to the Fort St Catherine museum to see the
replica Crown Jewels should do it. Bermudan tourism chiefs are keen
to encourage more Brits to visit, in part because its staple repeat
US business is getting old and (literally) dying.
Some visitors to the Cambridge Beaches resort have returned more
than 80 times, while The Reefs Hotel’s best client, who
notched up nearly 150 visits, has just passed away.
“The UK and Europe are back on the agenda and we are working
very hard to increase our profile as a dynamic, exciting,
value-oriented destination,” said Cambridge Beaches chairman
Michael Winfield, who is also chairman of the Bermudan Alliance for
Tourism.
This new-found commitment to the UK market is reflected in the
fact that for the first time in seven years, the island is taking a
stand at next month’s World Travel Market.
Meanwhile, operators are hopeful BA will increase its direct
service from five times a week to daily next year.
