Innovative tours headline a crop of two dozen experiences and events set to receive investment funds in 2019 as a result of the Tourism Experiences Investment process. The Bermuda Tourism Authority took in 52 completed applications for home-grown tourism ideas, approving 46 per cent of them.

Most of the applicants who achieved success in this process were also successful in previous years, but three are completely new. All of the new experiences are tours:

• Wanderlust Explorers — a tour company which will offer a variety of personalised experiences year-round. Adventure, culinary and beach hop tours are part of the menu of options

• Rugged Rental Tours — A group tour that takes visitors through the east end on vehicles they will operate with the help of a guide

• Bermuda Duck Tours — An amphibious vehicle sightseeing tour of the west end — by land and on the water

“Innovative local experiences for visitors is a strategic objective of the recently released National Tourism Plan, particularly experiences that are available year-round,” said Bermuda Tourism Authority Chief Product and Experiences Development Officer Pat Phillip-Fairn.

The Tourism Experiences Investment process is designed to help new experiences get off the ground or for existing experiences to grow and attract more visitors. Longtime grant recipients are typically put on a glide path of decreasing funds to make room for new experiences.

This is the fifth time the Bermuda Tourism Authority has managed an Experiences Investment process. Successful applicants received notification last week.

In 2019, $655,000 is assigned to supporting entrepreneurial ideas submitted through the process and will complement experiences under development by the Bermuda Tourism Authority. Investment funds are released in tranches, but only when performance milestones are reached. Additionally, relevant government regulatory approvals must be secured before funds are released.

A full list of the successful experiences is available on the Bermuda Tourism Authority website.

•Press release from the Bermuda Tourism Authority.