By Raymond Hainey Tourism Minister David Allen should be fired if he fails to improve on last year's tourism figure, Opposition Tourism spokesman David Dodwell said yesterday.

And Mr. Dodwell -- speaking after Government issued a 500 Day report -- asked what had happened to the Progressive Labour Party's 100 day tourism rescue mission.

He said: "Bermuda should be looking at a dismal 500 day report card -- instead of yet another of Tourism Minister David Allen's public relations propaganda which was served up to the Bermudian public last week.'' Mr. Dodwell added: "If we have another tourism year like 1999, Premier Jennifer Smith should make the appropriate management change by replacing Mr.

Allen with someone who can properly attempt to come to grips with the foundation of our economy.

"As in any business, important Cabinet positions must be results-driven. So far, Bermuda has seen negative results and no plan from the Minister -- our Island deserves better.'' And he slammed the tourism section of the PLP's 500 days in power report as a "public relations propaganda exercise''.

Mr. Dodwell said: "The UBP is astonished at what is not said about tourism in the document.

"Instead, Bermuda is fed information about interns on cruise ships and in advertising agencies and long-standing events such as the Goodwill golf tournament, Jazz Festival and XL tennis tournament.'' Mr. Dodwell said last year Bermuda had attracted 10,000 fewer tourists while an extra $6 million had been spent on advertising.

He added that calls to the Bermuda 1-800 number had gone up 80 percent, but that visitor numbers had fallen by four percent.

And he branded an ad campaign which promoted Bermuda by picking on destinations like Scotland and Venice an expensive flop.

He claimed: "Something went horribly wrong in last year's failed comparative advertising campaign.'' And he said the country should be asking where the "much-praised, but secret, hotel investment template which has resulted in Mr. Allen being labelled `the can't close a deal' Minister'' was.

Mr. Dodwell added: "After 18 months of promises and announcements by the PLP Government, the result is not one new hotel project has begun and not one new job has been created for a Bermudian.'' And he said that Mr. Allen -- currently on a promotional trip overseas -- should spend less time globe-trotting and more time at work on rebuilding tourism in Bermuda.

Mr. Dodwell said: "Bermudians want the Minister here, focussing on the product and helping to rebuild appreciation for tourism, rather than spending millions of tax dollars on travelling around the world visiting future promotion sites, reviewing cruise ships, hosting roadshows.

"Expensive promotions do not bring visitors back -- product, service and value for money do.'' Mr. Allen said: "The height of embarrassment for the Tourism Minister and the PLP should be that, after 500 days, of the UBP calling for a strategic plan for tourism, the Minister has to rely on the private sector coming to his rescue.

"It is indeed shameful that the Minister cannot share a plan of his own with Bermuda.

"Now that the `Conduit' group has produced a plan which is understandably quite similar to the joint Government/private sector plan of 1997, the UBP hopes that the new, energetic Director of Tourism will be allowed to implement Government's part of it with a minimum of interference by Mr. Allen.'' David Dodwell