David Burt’s trip to the United Arab Emirates to attend Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the Conference of the Parties in Dubai last year resulted in travel expenses of almost $21,000.

The Premier went to the Middle East from November 26 to December 7 for the two events.

Expenses were said to total $20,794, which included $10,419 on accommodation, $8,213 on air travel and $1,302 on ground transportation.

The figures became available on the government travel calendar, which included information about Mr Burt’s engagements during the trip.

It was announced yesterday that he is again in Dubai, to attend the annual Satoshi Roundtable — a gathering of top digital asset founders, leaders and executives.

Citing details of the earlier UAE trip, the travel calendar said: “COP28 is one of the most important environmental and diplomatic events of the year, and it was vital that Bermuda was well represented.

“A key highlight was the Premier’s meeting with officials from the Mubadala Investment Company and Masdar in Abu Dhabi to discuss renewable energy and infrastructure investment opportunities in Bermuda.”

It added: “In addition, the Premier also met with His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah, the Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs responsible for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange, to discuss the Government Experience Exchange Programme.”

Mr Burt was the keynote speaker at the COP28 address on the Island of Hope stage, highlighting Bermuda’s sustainability initiatives.

The calendar entry noted a “milestone” achieved during Abu Dhabi Finance Week, when a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Emirates Family Office Association.

It added: “This MOU is part of Bermuda's initiative to attract high-net-worth family offices and establish a physical EFOA branch in Bermuda within 12 months.”

During his trip, Mr Burt also attended a reception that focused on women climate leaders and small-island developing states.

At the reception, which was attended by King Charles III, he discussed Bermuda's role as a hub for climate finance, and engaged in discussions with global leaders.

The Premier also met the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development to discuss support for renewable energy projects in Bermuda.

His visit ended with meeting Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s Minister for Foreign Trade.

Talks centred on economic co-operation and investment opportunities between the countries, with a focus on hospitality and infrastructure.

Assurances were earlier given by the Governmentthat expenses for the trip would be published by the end of last year.

Details of the $18,274 spent by Walter Roban, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, during the same trip were posted on the Government’s Travel Calendar webpage shortly after his return to the island in mid-December.

At the time, at least three trips made by the Premier were not listed and a government spokeswoman said: “The missing items from the Ministry of Finance for the Premier are scheduled to be completed by the end of next week.

“Any other ministerial travel that has not been posted for this year should be uploaded by the end of the year and we welcome the transparency and questions that may come from the media and members of the public.”

Expense details for Mr Burt’s trips to Washington in September and London in November have also since been published.

Douglas De Couto, a senator and the shadow finance minister, said yesterday: “It is unfortunate that the Premier has taken almost two months to answer this straightforward question, which was originally posed in the Upper House on December 13.

“Yet the costs associated to the Deputy Premier’s travel to the same destination were revealed.

“With the Premier’s trip almost costing $21,000, and the Deputy Premier’s trip just over $18,000, almost $40,000 of the people’s money has been spent on this trip, plus whatever may have been spent on staff accompanying them.

“We also note that the Premier is currently travelling to another fintech conference in Dubai, which will no doubt incur further large expenses with dubious benefit to Bermuda.

“It is our view that the people's money and the Government’s time could be spent far more effectively on the pressing issues facing people at home here in Bermuda such as jobs, the cost of living and tourism.

“We wish that the Government would put as much expense and effort into bringing a new hotel to Bermuda, like the One Bermuda Alliance was able to do with St Regis.“

Mr Burt responded today: “The public should be reminded that the government travel calendar came into being after a minister in the former OBA Government racked up a bill in excess of $30,000 on a single trip to Brazil with no business purpose.”

The reference was to a trip made by Sylvan Richards, when he was the sports minister, to represent the Government at the Olympic Games in 2016.

Mr Burt added: “Major international events like the UN's COP require significant investment as political and business leaders from around the world gather, leading to higher-than-normal prices.

“Would the Opposition prefer Bermuda to be unrepresented at these gatherings while competing jurisdictions attend to advance their economic and political priorities?

“The Opposition are struggling for relevance, but do they really think voters believe that Bermuda should be absent from the world stage rather than investing in business development, which leads to jobs and opportunities for Bermudians?

“This Government has always been mindful of travel expenses, economising whenever and wherever we are able to do so. It's also important to remember that it was this Government that required all travel to be booked under business frequent flyer code, which over the years has provided many students, athletes, and those travelling with persons receiving medical care, free airfares.

“The UAE is an emerging global power, and this Government is making an investment in the future by advancing business relationships into Bermuda from this important region.

“Quite simply Bermuda must ‘fish where the fish are’, and that is precisely what the Government is doing on behalf of Bermuda’s businesses and Bermudians.”

There were ten trips listed on the travel calendar that were taken by the Premier in 2023 amounting to $80,880.

The most expensive trip listed for last year was the UAE trip followed by the Premier’s attendance at the coronation ceremony for King Charles III and Joint Ministerial Council meetings in London from May 5 to 12, which drew costs of about $13,470.

• UPDATE: this article has been updated to include a comment from the Premier