While the official Opposition has sounded a sceptical tone, the United Bermuda Party is fully behind a statement on the Island’s new Tourism plan, but that’s because it is so similar to the policies that the party advocated for a decade.On Friday, Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert updated the House of Assembly on progress being made on the National Tourism Plan.He said a draft plan had been produced following stakeholder consultation by consultants Tourism and Leisure.The One Bermuda Alliance’s Shawn Crockwell said that his party wanted to study the draft plan before making any detailed comment.But he noted that the country had been without a plan “for years”.“As a result, awareness of Bermuda as a vacation destination fell to an all-time low with surveys showing traditional markets — primarily in the US northeast — no longer knowing who we are or even where we are,” he said. “This is the hole that was dug by the Progressive Labour Party Government, and the fall in air visitors to historic lows is the most telling measure of its indifferent and unaccountable leadership.”He said: “It is also telling that in the lead-up to an election, the government is finally mustering the energy to put together a national plan. It creates the impression of progress, but this is progress that should have been made years ago.“It is important that the plan’s objectives be realistic. Setting the air visitor goal to the 1980 peak is admirable, but we will have to see how they intend to achieve that.”For interim UBP Leader Kim Swan, the draft plan outlined in the House of Assembly on Friday, is an indictment of the Government’s past tourism policies.In a statement last night, Mr Swan said that his party applauded Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert’s “positive approach”.“However, we are duty bound to point out that the PLP are adopting policies that we in the UBP have been advocating for more than a decade in Opposition,” he added.“Ironically, the Tourism Minister who, like me and 12 others, was elected United Bermuda Party in 2007, is now delivering policies that vindicate the cries of the United Bermuda Party in Opposition. Needless to say, we agree with the logic the Minister of Tourism is espousing in his National Tourism Strategy.”All the objectives of the draft plan, as outlined by Mr Furbert, had been suggested by the UBP, Mr Swan said.“We agree that Bermuda must focus on ‘Reducing seasonality’, and whilst realising this obvious point now is better late than never, the task at hand is made tougher because of years of neglect,” he said.The UBP is also in agreement that there is a need to “rebalance air vs cruise” visitors — another long standing UBP position. He said: “It only takes 40,000 land based air visitors spending $1,200 to spend $48 million, compared to $400,000 visitors spending $120 per person.“Once again the failure of the PLP to heed the advice of the UBP Opposition is resulting in a paid consultant vindicating our policy recommendations. But more importantly the taxpayers of Bermuda are the losers,” Mr Swan continued.