There is a lot to recommend in the Tourism Board’s strategic plan, even if few of the ideas are new.While the proposal to legalise gambling and open a casino is the most controversial, the recommendation that a tourism authority be put in place could be the most significant if it is accepted.Recommendations for the improvement of transport are also timely. And if schedules cannot be worked out for public buses and ferries, then private services should be licensed. Tourists cannot be expected to travel at the convenience of drivers and ferry crews.And a solution to rental transport for visitors aside from mopeds has to be found: Too many visitors simply feel unsafe on livery cycles and the lack of transport options for visitors is becoming a deterrent.This newspaper also supports a new training facility at Bermuda College so employees know about service expectations even if it has a Back to the Future ring to it, along with restarting the Blue Flag programme.Still, gambling will be at the centre of the debate. And while this newspaper has always opposed casinos, the fact that hoteliers are now virtually unanimous in support counts for a great deal. At the same time, serious thought and care needs to be given to this issue before a decision is made.Some of the ground has been covered, including in the report on tourism commissioned by former Premier Dr Ewart Brown, but that report glossed over some of the critical issues. Much more market research also needs to be done with current and potential visitors to be certain gambling is what they want. Past surveys have shown that many current visitors do not want gambling, so there must be some certainty that other visitors would come to the Island in their place.Nor should it be seen as a panacea. It would simply be an extra attraction.The Board also backs a tourism authority and says it should be in place in two years, while proposing that the board itself should take on some of the functions now. This is a major change, and a vote of no confidence in the Department of Tourism. But the results, or lack thereof, speak for themselves, and even though there are some highly professional members of the Department, the arrival figures of recent years provides more than enough justification for the creation of the authority.The report is right to say that funding will have to come from Government now, but it should be spent more efficiently, and if it is to be successful, then the private sector and other institutions need to contribute to the marketing budget as well. In that way, all tourism players should get more bang for their buck than would individually. Getting that kind of funding will be easier for a tourism authority than it is for Government.The need for a coordinated approach to hotel development is also essential. Former Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque performed this function on an ad hoc basis previously, but a more formal function is required. But it is fair to say that it takes far too long for projects to move from conception to construction now. And Bermuda needs more beds.This newspaper has proposed that some of these could come through more guest houses and bed and breakfasts. This would be a small start to bringing more beds online, and with the drop in the real estate market, the pricing of rooms and apartments for tourists makes better economic sense, especially for people looking for extra income.If the plan has a major flaw, it is in the timelines, some of which extend out for two years or more, and given past experience, if a two-year deadline is offered, then it will take longer than that.Most of these ideas have been around for a decade or more and they need to be implemented now, not at some distant point in the future. The tourism industry does not have the luxury of time.