There were two very positive announcements yesterday that may herald a change in both thinking and fortunes.One, smaller in scale, was the decision to expand Harbour Nights into both Reid and Queen Streets. The other, larger in scale, was the news that the Green brothers have bought the old Sonesta Hotel site.The decision to expand Harbour Nights is a sign that retailers are taking positive and unified steps to improve the shopping experience by making the City of Hamilton a vibrant family and tourist-friendly environment.It is not quite ‘out of the box’ thinking, but it is a step in the right direction and hopefully it will also reopen the debate about the pedestrianisation of parts of Hamilton.A mammoth undertaking, yes, and possibly unpopular with some retailers who will fear an erosion of parking spaces, but if we want to improve the product sometimes we have to take bold and imaginative steps to get there.The old Sonesta hotel, along with the ruins of the Club Med hotel, was fast becoming a symbol of Bermuda’s tourism decline.According to the Green brothers, they will take some time to consider the options for the land — although at a press conference on the issue the Premier did say: “We know that they are looking to build another hotel property there. Right now, it’s in its infancy stage as it is just being purchased.”Whether the Premier has inadvertently jumped the gun or not, the fact that the Greens have bought this land is a huge show of faith in Bermuda. Do not forget, they have also bought the Fairmont Hamilton and have spent millions of dollars building the Waterloo House offices.They are businessmen — not local philanthropists — so it is clear that they have a belief in the future of Bermuda, which is an endorsement the Tourism or Business Ministries could not buy.It is now important that both Government and public play their part. The public must show their support for the revamped Harbour Nights, the Government must fulfil its pledge to cut red tape to help facilitate new developments.Although not watershed announcements, they are significant and hopefully represent new attitudes towards doing things and a change in the fortunes of Bermuda’s tourism product.* Want to tell me your thoughts? Follow me on Twitter and send me a tweet: https://twitter.com/jeremydeacon1