Dear Sir,

It is truly shocking how we repeatedly shoot ourselves in the foot and make missteps that do irreparable damage to our tourism Industry.

Today (April 13) I travelled from Paget to Southampton and back, and saw many of our precious visitors patiently waiting for buses or just walking along the road because their patience had run out because the bus never arrived at the scheduled stop.

Dockyard has two cruise ships docked and public transport is crucial to get those visitors to other locations or returned back in a timely fashion. The visitor has been told we have efficient public transport, so why would the union pull the staff to attend a meeting during a time when the demand for public transport is vitally needed.

Another example of efficiency or lack of, is the Notice of Parkland concession services for the summer season starting on May 1. The Department of Public Works puts a notice in The Royal Gazette on April 11 seeking requests for proposal for the 11 park sites and requires a proposal by April 19. Ridiculous! A request for RFPs should have been made a minimum of eight weeks before May 1.

Did they forget that summer was nearing or that they even had some parks?

Some say that we need to go independent for any number of ridiculous reasons, but I can assure you that whether we go independent or not, everything will remain the same, as the Government cannot get out of its own way and provide an efficiently-run country where visitors will want to come back to our shores and spend money that is so vitally needed to keep us afloat.

We must do better. Most of us travel overseas: we plan, we review, we spend time to ensure that our time spent is good value to us, that it is fun and memorable, so please apply that same simple thought process to managing Bermuda’s services to our visitors and locals alike.

KATHY LLOYD-HINES

St George’s