The island’s new tourism minister, who also holds responsibility for culture and sport, said his combination of portfolios would work well for the island’s tourism.

Owen Darrell, who became Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport on Friday, took the tourism baton from Cabinet Office minister Vance Campbell.

Mr Darrell, the Government Senate Leader, said there was “so much synergy” between the three, enabling the island to “increase these events that show our visitors a full Bermuda experience”.

“We want our visitors to have more involvement with sport, art and culture. A report was done in 2018 which spoke about the art and culture of Bermuda and how we can bring those experiences to tourists.”

Mr Darrell noted an upcoming Bermuda Tourism Authority summit on November 28 and said he planned to meet with “key stakeholders and industry leaders in the coming weeks”.

“This year’s theme is Building a Better Bermuda Tourism Ecosystem — the focus is to collaborate with our industry partners to plan and commit to a networking system that will enhance the economic activities.”

The November 3 Throne Speech came with plans to streamline the Tourism Investment Act 2017, aimed at boosting incentives for developers of hotels, restaurants and tourism products, including attractions.

Concessions were extended this year, but Mr Darrell said further amendments would make the process more efficient and more user-friendly.

Also in the Throne Speech were plans to retool government property for use by artists, known as “makerspaces”.

Mr Darrell said a list of buildings was under review, with the creation of new spaces contingent on “how much it’s going to cost to get the building back up to user-friendly levels”.

The Department of Culture is continuing to consult with the creative community “across multiple” disciplines to find top priorities in different artistic fields to develop “creative hubs” in unoccupied properties.

He praised the Government’s more than $1.5 million investment in 21 national sports governing bodies to build athletic talent, along with repairs to netball and basketball courts with help from “the Ministry of Public Works and community partners”.

The legislation for the island’s anti-doping regulations is to be amended in this parliamentary sessions so that “we cannot only fly our flag proudly at international events, but also ensure a clean and safe environment for our athletes”.

Mr Darrell said his ministry planned to look over the application process for support from the Bermuda Day fund to give participants more time ahead of next year’s Bermuda Day.