Bermuda must decide once and for all if it is going to be in the tourism business or not.

While we recognise and applaud efforts to bring visitors to our shores, we must ask whether we really want them here or not?

It is all very well to try to attract travellers to the Island but in the end it is what they experience here that will make the difference.

An enjoyable experience will lead them to tell their families and friends about us, and to hopefully return.

For many years Bermuda's beauty and proximity to the US helped attract the lion's share of the tourism market from that country's east coast in particular.

But the deciding factor in our favour was that from their arrival until their departure, visitors were treated as our guests.

Tourism employees took personal pride in treating each visitor as if he or she was an old friend they were honestly glad to see, and took personal responsibility for ensuring they had the best time possible whilst on the Island.

This paid off in turn with the visitors returning year after year, and their families and friends visiting as well.

Bermuda may not have been necessarily on the cutting edge with its activities or entertainment opportunities in years past, but it did offer choices which were presented with a smile.

Visitors were able to escape the US and be in a safe vacation destination in a few hours. Once here they were treated like royalty and made to feel comfortable and relaxed - the whole point of the vacation.

All in all it was a winning combination that created the Island's golden years of tourism which so many people, whether they were employed in the hospitality industry or not, benefitted from.

What has changed?

Some visitors no longer feel safe or welcome when they arrive on our shores.

Reports of crime against visitors appear regularly in this paper. We receive complaints from visitors and residents alike on the poor treatment our guests receive.

These incidents sadly undermine the good work being done by so many.

The attempted robbery of a cruise ship passenger in Dockyard that resulted in a cruise ship employee being slashed four times across the face is news that will diminish all the enjoyable experiences passengers on that ship and visitors in general have.

Just this sole example could cripple any attempt to bring more visitors to our shores before they begin.

In turn it will possibly dissuade visitors from returning or from encouraging others to visit.

Combine that with other news of crimes against our guests and stories of poor service and the negative snowball rolls downhill gathering more and more weight.

This paper's detractors will argue that we should play a part in the tourism revival by not printing these sorts of stories, but this newspaper cannot and will not censor news generated by this Island in a dishonest attempt to boost Bermuda's credibility as a tourism destination.

Instead we will continue to do our job of printing the news and maintaining our efforts to find the good stories regarding tourism and covering them with equal vigour.

Meanwhile, we would all do well to remember that visitors are our guests and we are each responsible for ensuring they enjoy their stay with us, regret having to return home and look forward to returning.

Every action has a reaction and these negative actions against visitors will only serve to negatively impact our tourism industry.