Bermuda's hospitality industry could be set to make a big comeback if one of the Island's top restaurateurs gets his way.

The Island's tourism, hotel and restaurant trade has been in decline since international business took over as the number one driver of the economy in the 1980s.

But Greg Wilson, owner of Greg's Steakhouse, is looking to change all that by reviving the hospitality sector and bringing more Bermudians back into the industry.

Mr. Wilson is planning to set up a hospitality institution to train and develop budding young Bermudian chefs, waiters and management staff, get older generations to start a second career and kick-start tourism once again.

Having started in the hospitality sector at the age of 14, Mr. Wilson has been in the trade for more than 35 years and fondly remembers the 1970s and early 1980s when tourism was booming in Bermuda.

"I have always been passionate about the tourism industry," he said. "In the 1970s and early 1980s tourism was the number one - it was the main staple that Bermuda lived and thrived on.

"When you came up in this business, it was 'the business', before international business arrived.

"For Bermudians it was the only industry and it was first and foremost in most people's minds and how 80 percent of Bermudians made their living."

Mr. Wilson recalled the days when all of the hotels and restaurants on the Island were Bermudian-owned and locals were in demand to fill the jobs from St. George's to Dockyard, as was the unique Bermudian level of service to tourists to Bermuda's shores, with some visitors continually having coming back to Bermuda for 20 to 30 years.

However, he said that many Bermudians' heads were turned when international business finally arrived, taking advantage of the financial rewards and more favourable working hours on offer and encouraged to do so by their parents, who knew how it compared to the amount of effort required in the hospitality industry.

"When international business came around, some of the ladies and gentlemen took advantage of the opportunities with the financial rewards that were being offered, especially in the early days where a 20-year-old could earn a $25,000 bonus at the end of the year, work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and have weekends off, he said.

"By doing that, we left a void in the hospitality industry and as a result it died and with it the tourists went to."

Now Mr. Wilson wants to set up a hospitality association or institution to introduce young Bermudians to a career in the industry and encourage older generations to rejoin the sector.

He has already formed his own hospitality group at the restaurant and has a regular intake of students from Berkeley Institute, CedarBridge Academy and Bermuda Institute working there every Wednesday and Thursday learning the profession, from preparing food in the kitchen to serving customers and laying tables.

But Mr. Wilson now wants to join forces with other hotels and restaurants who are running their own programmes to get Bermudians back into the industry, such as Fairmont, The Reefs and the Pompano Beach Club, and create something similar to the former Bermuda Hotel School. And he wants to get everyone involved, from guest house owners and workers to concierges and taxi drivers and even boat tour operators, all within the next year.

"My whole argument is that there was a class distinction here in Bermuda that was divided - that was between international business and tourism," he said.

"The two were almost separated, but they are one of the same - tourism is international business in that all of the tourists that come here are international.

"Tourism is international business and international business is Bermuda and until everyone recognises and understands that they go hand-in-hand, we won't see much progress."

• Greg's Steakhouse will be holding its Supper Club for the second year running, featuring musicians Sheila Smith and Tony Barry, who will be performing two singing shows every Wednesday night, starting with the grand opening on May 20 and running until October 28.

The first show will take place between 7.30 p.m. and 9 p.m. and the second one from 9.30 p.m. to 11 p.m., with guests able to enjoy a meal or drinks while listening to the music and enjoying a dance.

Entry is free, but customers are required to buy a minimum of two drinks once inside.

Owner Greg Wilson said it would be a chance for families and friends to spend more quality time with each other and communicate more effectively.

"It is something that we just do not have in Bermuda anymore and I think it is very looked," he said.

"Today, everyone is in such a hurry, rushing around doing things and they have forgotten what it was like to sit down with the family and communicate together over a meal.

"At the same time, I really want to encourage people to come out and see some of Bermuda's finest musical talent."

Anyone interested in forming a hospitality institution or finding out more about the Supper Club can contact Greg Wilson at Greg's Steakhouse on 297-2333 or email gregssteakhouse@logic.bm