The Progressive Labour Party will make concerted efforts to promote investment in the tourism sector, the Government Leader in the Senate said yesterday.

Owen Darrell said many entrepreneurs were eligible for relief through the Government’s tourism investment programmes.

It came as senators passed a Tourism Investment Order granting tax rebates to the firm Swan Pyrotechnics Ltd for providing tourism-relates services through firework displays over the next five years.

Mr Darrell said that many people, including entrepreneurs, were eligible for tax relief but had not taken advantage of the breaks.

The tourism minister said he spoke recently to a young person who was unaware of tourism investment programmes available to residents.

He said: “That is a conversation that I will be taking internally and we will be knocking and saying, ‘How do we amplify this?’”

Mr Darrell said the pyrotechnics company had overcome hurdles to become established and noted its hard work had paid off.

He said: “We are trying to attract more individuals to apply for this.

“I am not going to give away any entrepreneurial ideas but there are a lot of individuals that come with ideas and people that have business plans that are sitting somewhere.”

Mr Darrell said the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s policy unit stood ready to walk interested parties through the application process.

He said that on Sunday evening at the MarketPlace Christmas Parade, joy could be seen on the faces of pyrotechnics officials during the firm’s highly anticipated fireworks display on Front Street.

He added: “I would gladly accept more and more applications for tourism investment orders on the category of attractions.”

Yesterday, senators also approved a Tourism Investment Order for the Rosedon Hotel, granting relief for redevelopment works at the iconic Pitts Bay Road establishment.

It will give the hotel full relief from customs duty as well as land and hotel occupancy tax for 15 years, on the condition it ensures 70 per cent of staff are Bermudian, with a management training programme for Bermudians.