2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
Local Involvement
Growing through people.
Tourism in Bermuda can only grow through and with the support of its residents. Visitors to the island cite interactions with locals as one of the best parts of their trip. We aim to create opportunities for young people in the island to see tourism as an appealing career. As the largest private sector employer in Bermuda, and a proven growth engine, we aim to engage all residents in the tourism industry.
IN THIS SECTION
Connecting with Youth
Youth Climate Summit (YCS Team Building)
The BTA was invited to discuss Sustainable Tourism with the YCS Team Building session at Rosewood Tucker’s Point on Saturday, August 27.
The day encompassed a tour of the property, a discussion held with a BTA representative from the Tourism Standards and Training division, a brainstorming session in response to the discussion and then a Living Reefs Foundation tour.
The discussion included:
- review of traveller statistics comparing 2018 and 2022 visitors by year,
- emerging industry trends,
- exploration of potential innovations for the future
The students were encouraged to dig deep and provide ideas for how they could create a business that would be sustainable for the island.
Building our Workforce
Tourism Industry School Partnerships
Bermuda College invited BTA to talk to its hospitality and culinary students. The BTA contingent included a diverse array of team members to ensure the students got a well-rounded overview of the Bermuda Tourism Industry.
- Donn Foggo – spoke on marketing, PR, and communications
- Jallande Greaves – explained how we bring prospective clients to Bermuda
- Leonard Williams – talked about the BTA Experiences ( how and why)
- Davida O’Brien – brought them up to speed on training and education and how they are contributing to the workforce.
OUTCOME: Following the presentations, the students were able to ask questions. It was an opportunity to clarify myths about the industry.
As part of our local outreach and development of Bermuda tourism’s workforce pipeline, we worked with Mount Saint Agnes School (MSA) to support curation of the school’s tourism course.
MSA uses a curriculum from Alberta, Canada. The customised Bermuda curriculum aims to ensure that the content meets international requirements while aligning with the National Tourism Plan.
In addition, stakeholders were contacted to host site visits of properties and/or experiences. This will allow the students to observe the correlation between what they are learning in the classroom and what is put into practice in real-time.
Elevating Services Standards & Developing Training Opportunities
Tourism Standards & Training
BTA+
- Learning Management system to launch in March 2023.
- System will be a new resource for our industry with our BTA-owned courses in addition to course content from partners such as: Goslings, Bacardi, Bermuda College, American Hotel & Lodge Association, etc.
BERMUDA HOSPITALITY SERVICES STANDARDS
- Revamp of the BTA’s National Service Standards Program underway which will promote businesses who give high levels of service. Businesses that apply for the certification, will be vetted, interviewed & secret shopped.
- Launching in April 2023. <<< CONFIRMING IF THIS HAS BEEN LAUNCHED
2022 Tourism Summit
The Power of Partnerships 2.0
The Bermuda Tourism Authority held its annual Bermuda Tourism Summit on November 18, 2022. The event was held at The Hamilton Princess and hosted over 200 people within the Harbourview Ballroom. Amongst those in attendance were hoteliers, aviation executives and government officials.
This year’s summit was the first to be held in its usual format since the start of the pandemic in 2020. In the spirit of renewal with an optimistic outlook post pandemic, the BTA was inspired by the theme “The Power of Partnership 2.0”. The Chairman of the Bermuda Tourism Authority Board, Wayne Caines, JP, MP noted Bermuda’s rich history and legacy shaped by tourism and how “Covid completely changed our industry” throughout his opening remarks. Followed by CEO, Tracy Berkeley’s powerful message of hope and hard work, focusing on rebuilding both the organisation, and tourism, collectively as a country.
The day saw a series of panels, as well as breakout sessions that included Marketing and Storytelling, Retraining and Recruiting talent in tourism industry, Superyachts, and TikTok tutorials among others. With a keynote speech delivered from Joseph Diaz, Co-Founder of AFAR Magazine, a quarterly print and digital publication focused on experiential travel and a mission of “making travel a force for good.” AFAR is also the publication that launched Bermuda’s recent Lost Yet Found campaign.
