comments he made about cruise ships were self-serving.

Mr. David Dodwell, president of the Bermuda Hotel Association and UBP candidate in Southampton West, was responding to recent comments by Mr.

Michael Scott, the Progressive Labour Party candidate in the same constituency.

Mr. Scott criticised Mr. Dodwell for comments he made in a speech to the Hamilton Rotary Club.

Mr. Dodwell, speaking as head of the BHA, said cruise ships were cutting into hotel profits and there could soon be an over-supply of the "floating hotels''.

Mr. Scott claimed Mr. Dodwell, owner of The Reefs hotel, had "a vested interest'' in protecting his hotel from competition.

He said the "over-supply'' remark appeared to refer to the fifth cruise ship which Government recently secured for St. George's. "If this is an accurate assessment of his speech then it is in direct conflict with the Government's policy,'' Mr. Scott said.

However, Mr. Dodwell told The Royal Gazette that Mr. Scott's assessment was inaccurate.

Bermuda needed to be concerned about cruise ships from a competition standpoint, just as it needed to be concerned about other destinations, like Jamaica or Florida, he said.

The speech referred to "an over-supply of cruise ships in the market in general,'' Mr. Dodwell said. "It was not in reference to the fifth cruise ship.'' The fifth ship "was a Ministry of Tourism policy,'' he said. "I'm on the Board of Tourism and I support the policy.'' Mr. Scott said the presence of cruise ships in Bermuda gave hoteliers here the perfect chance to introduce passengers to their properties, so they would return. He called for promotional tours of hotels and parties on hotel beaches for cruise ship passengers.

Mr. Dodwell said cruise passengers rented cycles and visited hotels for meals and entertainment. As for parties on the beaches, "I would be concerned for the comfort of our own guests,'' he said.