Government has yet to reveal the tourism action plan it promised before the General Election, an Opposition MP said.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said then-Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen stated in October last year that he would produce an action plan within 100 days of a PLP election victory: "He promised in the run-up to the Election that within 100 days of the PLP winning, he would produce a national tourism action plan.'' Dodwell asks where the tourism action plan is This plan would "not only rebuild but expand the industry'', Mr. Allen was quoted as saying at that time.

The PLP went on to win the election and February 18 marked 100 days after Mr.

Allen was sworn in as Tourism Minister.

Of the plan, however, Mr. Dodwell yesterday said: "Bluntly, we have not seen it. That concerns me very much.

"While I fully understand that he has been very busy, this was a core commitment on the PLP's part. It's not easy to do sometimes but once you commit to something, you have to produce it in my view.

"The other thing is that there has not even been a comment about it not being produced.'' Mr. Dodwell said his understanding of the plan Mr. Allen had in mind was a broad-based plan of attack to help revitalise tourism with some attention given to specific issues.

"We have not seen even an outline of that plan nor a date when we are going to see it.'' And he said the new contracts with advertising and public relation firms did not constitute that plan, as he saw it.

"Solely devising a marketing plan is not the answer to our challenges in tourism. These are a very small part of a bigger picture.'' The same went for the new set-up in the arrivals area of the Airport where visitors are now greeted with local entertainment and refreshments as introduced under the PLP's watch.

"While this is appropriate, it is a very small blip on the very large radar screen of issues confronting us.'' The former Tourism Minister was sympathetic to Mr. Allen's situation.

"I suspect that having gotten into the Ministry and having gotten to grips with everything, he is finding that the issues are bigger than what he anticipated,'' he said.

But Mr. Dodwell said the answer to his counterpart's plight was in front of his nose.

"We produced a five year plan -- Tourism in 2002 -- at the beginning of last year.'' And Mr. Allen's decision not to use the plan raised other concerns, continued Mr. Dodwell.

"My concern is that this plan was built by the community in conjunction with the Ministry. It had strong support from the hotel industry and was starting to bear fruit.'' This was shown in the increases in occupancy, number of room nights, average length of stay and visitor expenditure which were recorded last year, although total air arrivals declined.

Mr. Dodwell stressed that he was not pushing the plan because he had commissioned it.

"It is not my plan,'' he said. "I have no pride of authorship in that plan.

I facilitated it but it is not my plan. It is the Country's plan.

"The Country came to grip with the issues and those issues have not changed.'' Pointing out that about a third of the new Tourism Board were on the former Tourism Board which also played a role in developing Tourism in 2002, Mr.

Dodwell added: "Broadly speaking it is the same people who will be involved in the production of the new plan.'' "How do you change from that plan which was currently based?'' he asked.

"How do you produce a brand new plan? The answer is you don't and you shouldn't. Sure you can adjust, tweak or modify it but you should not change it completely.''