When you want to trim $90 million from a $1 billion Budget, it’s a given that sacrifices have to be made across the board and all arms of Government have to be more efficient.But it does not make sense to cut heavily into those parts of Government that are responsible for regenerating the economy and creating jobs, which in turn would help to restore the Government’s revenues.So the cuts in the Tourism Ministry, of $7.9 million or 21 percent, may have been too deep. Those destinations that have had some success in coming out of the recession are those that have maintained a strong marketing presence. Jamaica is one.So a good case can be made for adding to Tourism’s advertising budget, not reducing it.Certainly, the end of the Bermuda Music Festival could not come soon enough. While a well staged event which was popular with local residents, as a device for attracting visitors, both to the Festival itself and to Bermuda generally, it was a failure.So the money expended on the Festival could certainly be saved, or redeployed to other forms of marketing.It is a little less certain that the apparent decision not to use an advertising agency is entirely wise.Apparent, because this newspaper is still waiting for clarification on just how Bermuda will design and buy advertising.To be sure, there may well be savings to be had by buying advertising directly, rather than using an agency to do that, with the savings applied to buying more advertising time and space, as Tourism Minister Patrice Minors has stated.Few will regret the departure of advertising agency GlobalHue, which failed to respond to the changing economic environment and failed to complete a television advertising campaign until the end of August 2009, by which time that year was virtually over for marketing purposes. GlobalHue was also criticised by Auditor General Larry Dennis over its spending. The criticisms were rebuffed by GlobalHue.However, that does not mean that Bermuda does not need some form of creative advertising input. Whether this should come from an overseas agency, in conjunction with other industry stakeholders like the hotels, or through a locally generated campaign is a subject for debate. But more needs to be known about what Tourism plans.The goal of focusing on Bermuda’s primary markets is also correct. While trips to Argentina, China and India were defended in the past, the reality is that Bermuda needs to fish where the fish are, and for Bermuda that continues to be the US East Coast, Eastern Canada and the UK.That does not mean the Island should not expand into new markets. But it should do so in a planned and measured way as the US economy begins to recover.And there are some signs that the US economy is beginning to strengthen. That should help Bermuda’s tourism industry this year after the nadir of the last two years, especially if the Island sees an improvement in air visitors.That will require a combined effort by the whole community. It will require competitive pricing and giving visitors added value. It will require superior service, not just by hotel workers and those involved directly in tourism, but by everyone with whom a visitor comes into contact. It needs to start when the visitor arrives at the Airport or cruise ship dock and it cannot end until they have left Bermuda.