In the Headlines...

Charlotte and more duty free mooted as tourism falters
By Elizabeth Roberts

Round the table: L.F. Wade International Airport general manager Aaron Adderley addresses last Friday's tourism summit convened by Premier Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transport.
Tourism chiefs have brainstormed ways to combat the effects of the global economic downturn.
The resulting ideas included increasing the availability of duty-free shopping and a greater focus on luring visitors from New York and North Carolina.
At the close of Friday's summit Premier and Minister of Tourism Ewart Brown told the 20 attendees: "The energetic commitment of everyone at this table is clear and undeniable."
The Department of Tourism sent representatives, along with the Hotel Association, Alliance for Tourism, Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Airport Operations.
According to Dr. Brown's press secretary Glenn Jones, short, mid and long term tourism strategies were discussed. The meeting came after a warning from Dr. Brown earlier this month that Bermuda faces three lean years as the global recession bites.
Overall visitor arrivals slipped by more than four percent in the first six months of this year compared to 2007. Visitors from the US were down more than 14 percent. Total air arrivals dropped ten percent.
The slowdown was also reflected in spending figures. The Department of Tourism estimated visitors spent between $58 and 75 million in the second quarter of this year compared to $77-80 million last year.
"Increased marketing presence in the New York market was among the solutions the summit agreed to action in the short term. More visitors come from New York than any other market. It is believed there is potential for more visitors from that market, particularly between November and March," said Mr. Jones.
"Increased availability of duty free shopping for visitors was among the solutions the summit agreed to action in the mid-term. The Chamber of Commerce reports some of its retailers have already begun talks with the Ministry of Finance to increase this tourism-specific offering. Post-visit research indicates this is one area Bermuda visitors would like to see more options."
Mr. Jones said participants agreed to investigate Charlotte, North Carolina, as a year-round market to pull visitors from in the long term.
"Charlotte is within 90 minutes of Bermuda and is the number six fastest growing city in the United States with a mean household income of $97,000. Population in Charlotte is projected to grow from 1.6 million today to 4.8 million by 2028, it was revealed at the summit. At present there is seasonal air service between Bermuda and Charlotte," said Mr. Jones.
He added that other potential strategies, particularly as they relate to Canada and the UK, would not be discussed publicly until more research could be done and more consultation could be conducted. Those inquiries and talks will begin straight away.
Dr. Brown said: "From the moment we started the summit people came to the table with solid ideas. We were able to immediately gauge feedback from our industry partners and agree on a way forward. I think everyone around the table would agree we made some progress today."
John Harvey, of the Hotel Association, said: "This was a very productive meeting. The Premier recommended we meet like this quarterly and all of us were on board with that. It's important that we are on the same page as we deal with these economic conditions affecting travel."

It would be great if they could talk USAir into doing year round direct flights!!! And hey maybe they could bump the cost down a bit too... However with the shopping around here - they may find the opposite happens - providing another city for shopping off the island. I guess we shall just have to wait and see.