Airport. This newspaper continues to receive reports and to hear stories, some accurate and some exaggerated, about one less-than-welcoming Airport incident after another, and these have to be disturbing to Bermudians who understand that their living comes from visitors. This newspaper's concern arises because the Airport is the first and last impression of Bermuda for most of our visitors, including long-term resident-visitors and guest workers.

We have complained before that the Airport is not very welcoming. There has been some slight improvement. After two years of our suggestions, there is now a line system at the Customs counters which allows the first person in line to get the next available officer. There is, however, still confusion and complaint over baggage carts at both departures and arrivals. People do not like the fact that carts in the arrivals hall have signs on them restricting their use by the public.

The Airport welcome may be something which can be addressed now that the management of the Airport is changing. Something so simple as a "Welcome to Bermuda'' sign would be a plus.

Official Bermuda makes the mistake of viewing the Airport as a technical visitor pass-through area. We understand the need for security, especially as it impacts on US Customs and Immigration pre-clearance. But it is possible to be both welcoming and secure. Officials have to change and do their job while making the Airport visitor friendly for both arriving and departing passengers. We have to think of the Airport not just in terms of an arrivals and departures terminal but in terms of a hospitality area for visitors.

Bermuda is a tourist resort. Tourist resorts have to make people welcome and right now the hospitality at the Airport is not very warm.

Immigration and Customs officials have a job to do and, by and large, they do it well. That job is not always easy and it is often complicated by travel weary and cranky passengers who are arriving in need of a vacation. We are not suggesting that Immigration officials should not do their job which involves the protection of Bermuda from both contraband and from illegal persons but we are suggesting that the job can be done with a care and courtesy which does not damage Bermuda's livelihood. There cannot be many countries for whom Airport arrival and departure impressions are so important.

The stories of difficult arrival experiences are damaging in themselves. We think that, when repeated, these stories deter other people from enjoying Bermuda. We hear of long-term resident-visitors being given a hard time at the Airport. There are stories of European visitors with return tickets only to the US being unduly detained. People talk about passengers who arrive to do business with resident companies and refuse to return again because of Airport hassles.

Being efficient at the Airport is one thing, but giving offence to the people who provide Bermuda's high standards of living in destructive.

There seems to be a new attitude at the Airport, a new accusative approach to the visitor. Instead of treating visitors as welcome friends who have come to enjoy Bermuda and spend their cash, we assume visitors are here to harm Bermuda. Surely a tourist resort has no alternative but to assume that all visitors are good for us while keeping an eye out for a very few baddies. If Bermuda assumes that every visitor is a baddie and treats them as such, soon there will be no visitors.

So far no-one has explained to the public why Bermuda is doing this to its valued customers.