A radical restructuring of tourism is to take place focusing on gateway US cities, which could involve closing overseas offices and bringing staff back to Bermuda, Government confirmed yesterday.

And tourism is to be taught in the classroom to ensure Bermudians understand the vital importance of the industry to the Island's economy from a very young age.

Tourism Minister Renee Webb said there was a need to focus more heavily on core gateway cities in the US eastern seaboard to ensure the Island was getting the most from its marketing dollars.

The emphasis will be on the 85 million Americans who live within two hours of airports on the east coast, she said, rather than those further afield who need connecting flights.

But Opposition leader Grant Gibbons described the Throne Speech commitments yesterday on Tourism as “pathetic” and showed Government wasn't interested in tackling the crisis in the industry.

“It is too spread out and spread thin in marketing Bermuda and we need to put money into our main gateways,” Ms Webb told The Royal Gazette after the Throne Speech yesterday.

“We have 85 million Americans living within two hours and we only need 500,000, so why go all over the place?

“We have got to market Bermuda to Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Connecticut, Atlanta - these are the key areas.” Tourism has offices in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, and Toronto, with satellite operations in Florida, Chicago and Texas. And there is another office in London staffed by a British public relations and marketing company. She said the Bermuda and North America Tourism offices were not working in synch and needed to operate in harmony.

“There has been a total disconnect between the local Bermuda and North America office and we have to have more synergy in how we operate so that we are clear in our operation that we are not two separate entities, and one hand must know what the other hand is doing,” she said.

“That has not been happening, to make this disconnect. We are spending more on niche markets. We are looking at how we can be a more effectively managed sales organisation. People are moved around and there is the possibility that some people might move to Bermuda and the possibility we might be closing offices.”

Government will also develop a new marketing strategy for the United Kingdom, Europe and the US, Governor Sir John Vereker announced in the Throne Speech. Ms Webb said this was a reference to the report by tourism guru Elliott Ettenberg unveiled on Thursday, which said the emphasis should be on getting first-time visitors.

Referring to the tourism education plans announced in the Throne Speech, Ms Webb said Tourism staff currently go into classrooms in an ad hoc basis but now it will be done on a more organised way, possibly as part of the school curriculum.

“It could be incorporated into part of the curriculum, but definitely I want our young people to be much more exposed to tourism and to know how important it is. We need to start early,” said Ms Webb.

Opposition leader Dr Gibbons said: “The tourism aspect of the Throne Speech was pathetic. It was in a crisis situation even before the arrival of Fabian with September occupancy levels seriously down.

“The tourism section gives us very little to believe that the Government is serious about to address tourism and rejuvenate the industry.”