People are to get the chance to have their say on what needs to be done to try to salvage Bermuda’s tourism industry.The initial proposals of the National Tourism Plan are to be “taken to the community” this summer to find out what people think.It is hoped public discussions will add to the master plan, which is intended to guide Bermuda’s tourism policies for the next decade and beyond.In recent years the industry has suffered from the closure of hotels and guest houses as well as a decline in tourist numbers.But the formulation of Bermuda’s first strategic plan for the industry is seen as the way to save the industry.Tourism Minister Patrice Minors said the Tourism Board was “working diligently to formulate a document that represents the full, comprehensive input of all stakeholders”.The Minister insists progress is being made, even though drawing up the tourism blueprint is taking longer than planned. It was originally announced that it would be completed by the summer.Ms Minors now estimates the National Tourism Plan will be published by the end of the year, but she said it was important they weren’t rushed as they wanted a “a truly balanced view of all the crucial issues that need to be properly addressed”.The Tourism Board was set up at the start of the year specifically with the aim of developing and sustaining the tourism product to make Bermuda “an envied tourist destination of the world”.Then at the end of April about 30 key tourism figures attended a two-day retreat to brainstorm the future of the industry.Hoteliers suggested passing gaming legislation to make them more competitive and creating revenue through the winter months.Other options discussed at the retreat were a convention centre, the Island having its own airline, waiving landing fees for Lear jets and scrapping property tax.Ms Minors said over the last month Tourism Board members have split up into smaller committees to discuss “a series of hot topics”.These topics include hotel development, branding, gambling, entertainment, service standards and the much-talked-about creation of a tourism authority.Policy issues such as hotel concessions, immigration, residence and property taxes have also been discussed.The board will then draw up a document of ‘Key Strategic Imperatives’ and Ms Minors says these will become “crucial components of the National Tourism Plan”.Ms Minors said: “A series of town hall meetings, public panel discussions and stakeholder engagements will occur in early September where these imperatives will be presented to the public.“We are going into the community, we are rolling it out through town hall meetings. We want to show the Bermuda people where we are heading with the National Tourism Plan.“We want to hear what people have to say, we are not going to be dismissive of any ideas.”She added: “It is my intention to lay these fundamental proposals in Parliament when it resumes in November”.Ms Minors said she had wrongly expected the National Plan to “happen quite quickly,” but she now realises the importance of board members “immersing themselves” in “issues that have been discussed in many different ways over the years”.The Minister said: “We don’t want to rush things, we accept that this is the pillar of our economy and we have to take our time.“It has required a greater depth of discussion than first imagined. We want to be able to produce a truly comprehensive plan, we are not going to rush it”.Ms Minors discussed the progress of the National Tourism Plan after revealing the 2011 second quarter visitor statistics at a press conference on Wednesday.When asked who Bermuda’s competition was, Ms Minors said lots of people considered it to be Aruba, but she added it was important not to make comparisons with Caribbean islands.She said: “Our greatest competition is ourselves. We don’t like making comparisons with others. Competing against ourselves makes us much more creative, it’s one of the ways we can make ourselves shine”.Ms Minors was also put on the spot about tourism as she sat on the panel at Tuesday’s town hall meeting about what Government is doing to strengthen the economy.