Nearly half of residents believe the newly formed Bermuda Tourism Authority will be able to rejuvenate the struggling industry.

However, a proposal allowing visitors to rent cars has been overwhelmingly rejected, according to a survey commissioned by The Royal Gazette.

Overall 46 percent of more than 400 residents said they believed the independent organisation, which replaced the Government-run Department of Tourism last month, will be effective in bringing about an upswing in the Island’s second pillar of the economy.

The poll, carried out by marketing firm Global Research in the first week of this month, asked 419 residents if they believed the BTA would bolster the hospitality industry.

While 192 respondents expressed faith in the new body, 105 people — 25 percent — believed it will not be effective in boosting visitor arrival figures. A further 29 percent of respondents were undecided.

A call by BTA chairman David Dodwell for Government to investigate the possibility of allowing visitors to hire cars has been firmly rejected by survey respondents, with 293 people — 70 percent — saying they did not support the proposal. Twenty-eight percent of those polled gave the initiative their backing, while two percent were undecided.

The concept, put forward by Mr Dodwell in February, had already come under fire from the taxi industry, with Taxi Owners and Operators Association president Derek Young claiming it would result in “panic and turmoil” on Bermuda’s roads.

Government set up the Tourism Authority last month claiming the industry needed to be run by experts in the private sector rather than politicians. Although it was given a $23.1 million grant by Government in February, it is expected to be self-funding within the next two years.

At the time of its launch, the authority’s chief executive officer, Bill Hanbury, said the organisation would bring about improvements within months.

Mr Hanbury said digital marketing and social media would be the first aspects of tourism to be addressed and, in turn, reap results.

“I do think within the next three to six months you’re going to see some results,” he said.

“I think you’re going to start to see some clicks up on hotel occupancy, and on Bermuda’s exposure to the world. I think that can be accomplished by doing some things that are perhaps fundamental to what the marketplace demands, particularly around digital applications and social media.

“I don’t think we’re hitting on all eight cylinders there. I think we can do much better in that arena and I think doing much better in that arena early on will actually give us some early wins, and will affect the economy in the first year of my tenure here. You’re going to see some improvements there.”