2022 Overview

However, as Bermudians have done for more than four centuries, we battened down the hatches, weathered the storm and all hands emerged on deck with a common purpose – to fix our damaged ship, trim our sails and resume our journey forward. 

While Covid struck a fearsome blow, and although we remained challenged by travel restrictions, 2022 was a year in which we slowly but surely started to recover from our wounds, regained our strength and continued to reinvent and revitalise our tourism sector. Certainly, it was encouraging to see the green shoots of recovery and resilience springing forth in 2022 with air and cruise arrivals continuing their steady rebound as restrictions were eased. 

What is clear is that for our recovery to continue and gain momentum, the entire community has a role to play. While the BTA may be the captain of the good ship Bermuda, it is a crew working in unison towards a common goal that will ensure smooth sailing and the promise of a better future. While the waters remain choppy, and challenges remain, I and the BTA Board have confidence in the BTA’s Leadership team as they execute a well-defined vision and plan to resume our course onwards and upwards. 

The National Tourism Plan objectives remain at the forefront of our team’s efforts, namely; to increase awareness and intent to travel, build balanced seasonality, pursue diverse travelers and increasing numbers of black travelers, increase traveler spending, improve visitor satisfaction ratings, engage the community to be a part of building Bermuda’s tourism industry and create job opportunities and career paths for young Bermudians.

I am thrilled to share that the Lost Yet Found campaign, launched in 2022, has garnered widespread acclaim and numerous prestigious awards. We are confident that the seeds we have planted through this campaign, as well as ongoing relationships with our marketing and public relations partners, will bear fruit in the years to come.

One hundred years ago, in December 1922, the Bermuda Trade Development Board, which was responsible for promoting tourism to the island, ran a full-page ad in the New York Times to entice visitors to “The Enchanted Isle of Play.” The ad featured some of the Island’s hotels including the Princess, the Hamilton, New Windsor, American House, Belmont, Frascati, and others. Only one of those hotels, the Hamilton Princess, remains in operation. If Bermuda is to continue to revitalise and grow our tourism sector, it is imperative to increase our hotel inventory. 

While there has certainly been passionate debate about the re-development of the Fairmont Southampton, we must find a way to move forward with the project and ensure our largest hotel is brought back online as soon as possible. The increase in beds will in turn assist with ensuring additional flights from key hubs in the US. This in turn helps increase arrivals and attract investment opportunities both locally and from overseas. 

But bricks and mortar alone do not guarantee success. One of the most important aspects of attracting repeat visitors to Bermuda over the last century has been the people of Bermuda. We are known as the friendliest people in the world for good reason. The BTA remains focused on developing local talent and equipping them with the skills, knowledge and resources to exceed expectations and create unforgettable experiences for our guests as the front-line ambassadors for Bermuda Tourism. Through our training programmes, we are committed to raising service standards in the hospitality sector which will further enhance Bermuda’s reputation as a world-class destination.

While in decades past visitors may have been content to sit on a beach and enjoy the sun and ocean, travelers today increasingly plan their vacations around events and experiences. 2022 saw the BTA partner with many successful events such as SailGP, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the USATF track meet–that not only attracted visitors but were also broadcast to millions of viewers around the world. Other niche events such as the Bermuda Billfish Championship, the Clipper Round the world race and Dive Month showcased Bermuda’s beauty and rich maritime heritage. Experiences including Restaurant Weeks and Spa Month ensure there is something for everyone as we work to promote Bermuda as a year-round destination. 

The most recent tourism arrival figures evidence the fact that we are heading in the right direction. It is imperative that our entire community works together to ensure that we are ready to share our jewel in the Atlantic with the rest of the world. 

Sincerely,

Wayne M. Caines, JP, MP

Chairman of the Board