Of the $1.9 million taxpayers spent on the Bermuda Music Festival only $90,000 was spent promoting it overseas. his compares to the $64,000 spent promoting the event locally.

Answers to Parliamentary Questions made public on Wednesday revealed the Department of Tourism knows of 383 tourists who paid to come to the Island for the festival, though it is not aware how many booked online or via local vendors. This means the department's $1.9 million contribution to the festival amounts to $5,000 spent on each known tourist.

For $5,000, the Department could have given each of the 383 tourists ten nights in a moderate King Room at the Fairmont Southampton or one night in the penthouse suite at the same hotel, with a couple of hundred left over for shopping.

Moreover, when the $1.9 million contribution is broken down, it reveals every resident of Bermuda whether or not they went to see Quincy Jones And Friends perform at The Keep Yard in Dockyard spent $29 on the festival.

The answers also revealed that while only $90,000 was spent promoting the event overseas, $202,822 was spent on tents, coverings and seating and $327,083 was spent on lighting, sound, stage, video and electric equipment.

Taxpayers spent $158,000 on airfare and hotels for the artists, and $84,432 on production-related travel, hotel costs and per diems. This is on top of the artists' collective $1 million performance fee. The costs given in the Parliamentary Answers are only the preliminary expenditures. Event producer Rock Newman has until December 31 to file all expense reports under his contract.

Shadow Tourism Minister Michael Dunkley, whose Parliamentary Questions prompted the figures being revealed, said he believed figures illustrate the festival is a "waste of taxpayers' money".

"The Department of Tourism lists the purpose of the festival as increasing visitation," he said. "We have seen the amount of money spent in the last few years and it is clear the event is an absolute failure in increasing visitation. We are calling on someone else to run tourism. The Premier has been talking about the need for operational control over the Police but we think someone else should have operational control over tourism.

"How can you justify spending millions on 383 visitors? We would have been better off giving 4,000 visitors a $400 discount on hotels, or working out a discount with the airlines [for the same cost]. Of course locals love to go up and party, and those that get to go to the VIP tents have a great time. But in the time of a recession when health care costs are going up and budgets are being cut it is not responsible.

"It is an absolute waste of taxpayers' money. I call on the Premier to come out and give some sort of justification for this. In the Senate I have tried to hold the Government to account with questions like this and I will continue to do so."

Premier Ewart Brown did not respond to a request for comment on the cost of the festival.

A Tourism Department spokesperson said: "Once these final submissions are delivered, the department will be prepared to make a report by the end of January 2010. "We realise in the current economic climate the Bermuda Music Festival cannot do as well as we would like. The department is currently conducting a full review and we will inform the public of our findings in the new year."

One hotelier, who asked not to be named, said he did not believe the festival was a good investment.

"I believe the $2 million spent on the music festival can generate far superior return on investment for the Island's tourism industry if the funds were reallocated to additional advertising in our core markets," he said. "In difficult times like these I am sure the Department of Tourism is reviewing how to carefully allocate their available funds to maximise impact for each dollar — it will be interesting to see their approach in 2010."

Another hotelier said many in the industry had given up complaining about the festival's large budget compared to the small amount of visitors who come. "This is obviously something the Premier wants to do," he said. "I know that many hoteliers and those in the Department of Tourism have complained about the festival before, but we have given up."

Bermuda Alliance for Tourism chairman Jon Crellin said they supported improving the Island's entertainment product.

"BAT partnered with the Bermuda Department of Tourism to secure special rates at 15 to 20 hotels for this year's Bermuda Music Festival and to promote the event online," he said. "As with most events, visitor numbers paint a partial picture. As a body of hoteliers, the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism is supportive of BDoT's efforts."

What do you think? Was the Bermuda Music Festival a good investment for attracting visitors? E-mail roklynchroyalgazette.bm.