Tourism authority outlines plan to boost industry

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Oct 25, CMC – The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) has unveiled a plan it hopes will rake in US$1.2 billion a year from the visitor industry by 2025.
The new National Tourism Plan said the growth – equal to 4.5 per cent a year, was part of a six-point plan to boost the now thriving industry over the six years from 2019.
“A recurring mantra in the plan is an imperative need to focus given limited resources. On this point, the plan is laser-focused on reaching the right people in the right locations for the right reasons,” said Kevin Dallas, the BTA’s chief executive officer.
“It explains the cities where Bermuda’s tourism marketing should focus, now and in the future, who the target consumers are and what on-island activities are needed to deliver the quality experience travellers seek,” added Dallas, who was speaking on Wednesday at the annual Bermuda Tourism Summit,.
The BTA said five other “success indicators” had been identified for the six-year period.
The authority said it wanted to see a five per cent boost in tourist summer air arrivals to 30 per cent over the timeframe.
The off season, September to May, is targeted for an increase of four per cent in the number of visitors from 52 per cent last year to 56 per cent.
The BTA also wants to see the number of African-American tourists to double from the four per cent of the total in 2017/18 to eight per cent.
It is also hoped to increase the number of people who would recommend Bermuda as a holiday destination to family and friends from the 76 per cent recorded this year to 83 per cent by 2025.
The authority said it also wanted to see 70 per cent of island residents backing the development of the industry, compared to the 61 per cent logged this year.
“This is purposefully designed to be Bermuda’s plan, not the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s plan,” said BTA chairman Paul Telford.
“The team gathered input from a variety of voices outside of our organisation — supporters and detractors — to ensure the plan represents the view of as many people as possible because we know Bermuda needs everyone buy in to make the plan successful.”
The BTA was created by the then ruling One Bermuda Alliance in late 2013 to run the industry in place of the disbanded Tourism Department.
Before the BTA was formed the island’s once powerful tourism industry had been in the doldrums for years.