Premier Ewart Brown dropped into the fifth Caribbean Ministerial Strategic Seminar at the Elbow Beach Hotel yesterday to tell delegates about the importance of tourism and the communications industry.

Dr. Brown admitted that communications had always been a favourite topic of his and went on to discuss the role it plays in the tourism market in Bermuda and the Caribbean as a whole as a driver of the regional economies.

Hugh Riley, director for the Americas at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, then spoke about the challenges facing the tourism industry in an ever-changing environment.

Dr. Brown stressed the importance, for Bermudians and Caribbean people alike, of distinguishing the difference between service and servitude, while he also intended to improve connections between those countries in the region and provide visitors with good telecommunications links.

"I think that one of the elements that we have to overcome in the region as we are moving toward another level in the hospitality industry is to make our people understand the difference between service and servitude," he said.

"I think I can report with some degree of accuracy that we have convinced two-thirds of our people that service is not servitude and we are still working on the other third.

"It is important that we improve transport within the region because it is very difficult for us to come and see each other.

"Bermuda recognised some years ago that when you have the sophisticated or discerning traveller, then one of the issues that the destination allows is for that person to stay connected, and it has taken some destinations longer than others to make that connection.

"Each of us is now facing in our tourism industry the potential impact of the economic downturn in the US, but I urge you not to get depressed by it — acknowledge that it is a likely event, but know that our region has a history of strong survival instincts and I have no doubt that we will figure our way out of it one day."

Mr. Riley then spoke about his work to market, protect and enhance the Caribbean brand and the need to adapt to change in the communications industry as it applies to tourism.

He talked about a number of exciting new projects in the offing in line with this, such as a website called www.caribbeantravel.com, aimed at promoting the Caribbean to travellers across the world, set to launch officially on March 13, and the Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit from June 21 to June 24, with Alan Greenspan signed up as the keynote speaker at the event.

The day also featured a speech by Dr. Noel Woodroffe, president of the Congress WBN, on the challenges and need for collective action, while secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Dr. Hamadoun, also gave a talk on the ITU: Information & Communications Technology and Small State Development.

The New 'E'-conomy, a seminar introduced by Dr. Terrence Farrell, CEO of Business Insight Ltd., the Increasing Knowledge Gap, a presentation delivered by director of communications at Congress WBN, Marlon Jam, and executive director of Caricom (Caribbean Community) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, Lynne Anne Williams' speech on Security Conundrum: Global Village — Porous Borders, formed the backdrop for the remainder of the morning's sessions.