Lantana there is now some good news for the future of tourism.

The recent takeover of the Princess Hotels by Canadian Pacific is one sign that large corporations have confidence in the Island's tourism sector. Now there have been more signs of new investment.

At the East End it seems likely now that St. George's will get an extensively revamped and Town friendly hotel on the site of the closed Club Med. For a very long time now St. George's has been without a major hotel and even while Club Med was open, the very nature of its operation did not encourage clients to leave the hotel grounds. Now there is the prospect of a hotel aimed at involvement with the Old Town.

Tourism Minister David Dodwell has been quoted as saying: "I have a great deal of confidence that the process will be completed as planned. Government likes the players involved and is pleased with the concept and theme they have planned. It will be a perfect fit for St. George's.'' Camberley Hotel Company has a reputation for running quality hotels of considerable ambiance and character.

While the hotel could not open until the spring of 2000, the hotel company has already gone to great lengths to consult the Bermuda Industrial Union and has finalised a labour agreement. That seems to us to be a very sensible way to proceed. Camberley will now begin planning its hotel which will mean extensive building and renovation. That too is good news for St. George's because, beginning next January, there will be any number of construction jobs in St.

George's for more than a year. We see the hotel as a great asset to a town which is already embarked on a wide-ranging renewal.

In addition, Bermuda Properties is planning an extensive restructuring of the Castle Harbour which may well mean new management other than Marriott for the hotel. As we understand it, the Trippe family, which effectively controls the hotel, has plans to turn Bermuda's most wonderful hotel property into a top five star resort.

Then there is the proposed business hotel in Par-la-Ville car park in Hamilton which is virtually certain to go ahead since it has the strong backing of the Corporation of Hamilton. We have said it before, but we see this hotel as one of the best ideas for the City in many years. Once there were any number of hotels, large and small, in Hamilton and the City needs a hotel to service the international company travellers coming and going through Bermuda. Aside from that, it is desirable for any city to have a good hotel in its centre. It should also serve to energise those properties such as the Princess and Waterloo House which already serve many business travellers.

The three projects promise continued high employment in the construction industry and then good hotel worker jobs in top hotels. That is the way Bermuda should be going and we think it can all mean a bright tourism future.

Added to that, it is fair to say that new hotels in resorts attract new visitors and lead to the upgrade of other hotels because they seek to compete.

Bermuda has not had a major new hotel since the Southampton Princess was built over 25 years ago. We need these hotels and it is to David Dodwell's credit that he has worked hard to get them here.