GlobalHue's renewed $28 million contract with the Ministry of Tourism and Transport has attracted scepticism from the trade advertising press in the United States.

The company — reportedly run by Premier and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown's longtime friend Don Coleman — faced no competition for the deal because Cabinet decided not to put it out to tender.

The move, announced last week in the Official Gazette, came despite falling visitors' numbers and wide criticism of GlobalHue's dealings.

Reflecting on the reappointment, American title BNET Industries muses: "GlobalHue, the agency accused of overbilling the $14 million Bermuda Tourism account by $1.8 million, has been punished by the Island client with another $28 million in business."

The article goes on to refer to "rampant overbilling" alleged by Auditor General Larry Dennis; "ludicrous media markups", "weirdly disproportionate buys", "unreturned discounts and credits", and "a lack of a paper trail on the account".

Noting Dr. Brown's connection to Mr. Coleman and the fact the account was awarded without a competitive bidding process, the report says: "Observers both on and off the Island have been joining up the dots ever since."

The Royal Gazette has been trying to get Dr. Brown or the Ministry's side of the story on GlobalHue in recent weeks.

We've asked for a response to the criticism made by BNET in particular the outlets the Department of Tourism has used to advertise Bermuda, which have been described as the wrong type to target the honeymoon market or wealthy people. We have received no response.

Last Friday, we asked for a statement explaining why GlobalHue's contract is being renewed in the face of the criticism and to justify the $14m annual fee.

That question was ignored, along with many others, by the Premier's press secretary Glenn Jones and Tourism's press officer.

This is part of the Premier's stepped-up commitment to stonewalling Royal Gazette questions, which he hopes will "prevent a total breakdown of communication" between himself and this newspaper.

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