Tourists commenting on a popular travel website have questioned if they should change their plans as a result of the ongoing labour unrest.

While some contributors on TripAdvisor’s Bermuda forum said they had been “severely impacted” by the events, others urged potential visitors not to be put off.

The “buses and ferries not running” thread was started on Tuesday by a contributor from Boston calling themself “9thtimes”, who questioned how long the island’s public transportation would be shut down.

That person said they had friends planning to visit next week “but they are not sure if they should change their plans to another destination”.

While some contributors suggested that the protests should come to an end soon, others explained the situation and impact the events were having on tourists and locals.

“BostonYaYa” wrote on Tuesday that they were in their sixth week of an eight-week stay in St George’s and described the situation as “very, very sad to see”.

“We planned bus trips this week to the dockyards to meet a local artist to commission a work, a trip to Hamilton to watch a concert and donate to the cause sponsoring the concert — and then eat dinner in a local restaurant. Instead, we cannot move and we are developing a very sour taste.”

Meanwhile, “Rebecca R” said yesterday that she and her husband had been in Bermuda on a two-week trip but had to leave early “thanks to the transportation mess”.

“I suggest you reschedule unless you’re willing to invest a lot in taxis,” she added.

And “expat52” from the Netherlands wrote on Tuesday: “We have been on the island for eight days with another eight to go. Our plans are seriously impacted. Having initially thought we had found the perfect holiday destination, we would now seriously think twice before considering visiting again.

“There are plenty of affordable destinations that are far more welcoming and a lot less expensive.”

The commenter added yesterday: “It is hard to relax and enjoy a vacation when there is tension in the air. This week feels rather different to last when I thought I had arrived in heaven.”

But “KDKSAIL” from the United States responded that “the issues in question deeply affect Bermudians and their futures — individually and nationally — and go well beyond the convenience or inconvenience of the vacationing tourists”.

“Cancelling a trip is certainly any traveller’s prerogative,” the contributor wrote, “but an overreaction to the current situation and circumstance.”

“Doug K” from Massachusetts, added: “To be fair, tourists are not their concern presently; it’s the future of those living and working there as residents.”

One commenter, “travelpatty” from Townshend, Vermont, asked if there were any safety concerns.

This drew a mixed reaction with some suggesting people avoid the areas where the protests were happening.

Contributor “Matt_UGA” suggested those who were able to should get a refund and cancel their trips.

“The Government is shut down until Friday when they will try and reconvene. You shouldn’t have any safety concerns provided you stay away from downtown. Going there during the protest probably won’t result in physical violence but you will definitely have protesters yelling at you. This happened to me.”

But most insisted the protests were “peaceful”.

“AK0620”, from Boston, wrote: “My husband and I are on the island currently for vacation. We were wandering around Hamilton today and walked right by it. If we hadn’t of known about the situation, we honestly would’ve thought it was a reggae festival of some sort. We felt perfectly safe.

“We are having to eat more taxi fares than we like and probably won’t make it to some further out destinations we wanted to see, but we’re still having a great time and wouldn’t have cancelled if we knew ahead of time.”

Meanwhile, others offered to assist visitors or detailed the helpful nature of Bermudians.

“Markbermudagooner” wrote: “Please do not change your plans. If you need any assistance just let me know as I can help.”

Attention was also drawn to an advisory issued yesterday by the United States Consulate General in Bermuda, who said: “The demonstrations have been largely peaceful but as general guidance, we urge citizens to avoid areas of demonstrations and ask that they exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.”

The Bermuda Tourism Authority yesterday apologised for any inconvenience experienced by guests because of the unrest, but stressed that there had been no reports of arrests or violence.

“Since March 11, peaceful demonstrations have been held on the island surrounding proposed immigration legislation. This has resulted in labour issues affecting public bus and ferry services,” Glenn Jones, the director of public and stakeholder relations, said.

“The peaceful demonstrations have been confined to the City of Hamilton and there has been no reports of violence or arrests.

“Although visitors are still enjoying their Bermuda experience, we apologise for any inconvenience these labour issues are having on other guests. We are optimistic a resolution will be reached soon.

“Visitors are advised to use private transport to get around the island in the interim. Private transport information is available on our website or by calling the Visitor Information Centre at 441-295-1480.”