Most people start writing on day one of a new adventure, I'm starting a year after relocating to Bermuda. What can I say... I've been busy with the day job! Contrary to the belief of many close pals, I'm not in the Caribbean, but in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I'm a Brit in a far flung, little heard of corner of ye ol' British Empire but rather than this being a home from home, life as an expat couldn't be stranger than out here in the triangle...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Mile Wide Club

There has been much future-gazing and debate in recent weeks about how to get more peeps to the Bermuda hood to spend their big bucks and in doing so secure its, wait for it, the byword of late, sustainability. So we're talking cruise ships and air travel.

Firstly, a study of Bermuda's shipping channels has brought the matter of how to cater to ever-expanding  cruise ships to the fore. Sadly, unlike those perfectly round desert island you get in children's stories, Bermuda has all sorts of curves and corners (plenty of junk in its trunk you might say) to navigate in order to bring a ship into dock. The island started its life as a volcano and so actually consists over over 200 islands, although I imagine some are mere dots in the ocean. The report speculates that in order to accommodate the cruise ships of the future, a 70-metre wide by 10-metre deep channel, known as Town Cut, that ships use to access the historic town of St.George's in the East would need to be widened through the elimination of at least three islands and a cost of around $70 million. The reason... St George's gets 100 times less visitors as it did 4 years, mainly due to issues of water access. Similar plans are underway to scope out increasing the size of channels into the island's capital, Hamilton.


When reports like this come out it is easy to get carried away in thinking, well this is the only option and a must-do to save Bermuda's tourism trade from extinction. However, an examination of the bigger picture, reveals that as cruise passengers spend an average of $210 each according to Government figures, far less than the average hotel nightly room rate,so attracting hotel guests will have a much bigger economic impact. Therefore increasing the ease of passage to the island by air should be the focus of everyone's attention.

This conclusion hasn't been overlooked. The Government is busy drawing up a National Tourism Plan and as part of those discussions the subject of air travel has been a key focus. The prospect of Bermuda having its own airline was even raised. Now this sounds a little crazy at first but when you consider that Air Jamaica and Cayman Air exist and have so far survived the downturn unlike other larger airlines then maybe it's not complete madness. Currently BA has the monopoly on direct flights from the UK and it's rumoured to be one of their most profitable routes. No big surprise as it has to be one of their most expensive routes relatively speaking by mileage. My bank account has definitely taken a few rather big hits for my trips home and I very rarely get visitors. Although maybe I'm kidding myself that it's on account of the air fare: -(

I already have a powerful vision of what shape BDAAIR could take and maybe much of my inspiration comes from the spirit of Venga Airways from the classic "We're going to Ibiza" 90s tuuune. My feeling is that boarding the airline should give you island flavour from the moment you step on board. I'm picturing stewards in Bermuda shorts, a welcome Dark n Stormy, menus featuring fish chowder, local fish entrees and rum cake for afters! Yum! Maybe even a live set from Will Black in the first class lounge. You'd barely even notice the 7 hours go by, you'd be having so much of a good time. Rather like a night on Front Street before you even land. Somehow it's 3.30am, you're in Cafe Cairo and no idea how you got there... but that's another story for another blog post!!


However, even with the best airline in the world, it still matters what's on offer when you arrive. I've been seeing the island through a tourist's eyes over the last few weeks. It's that time of year again when a few friends' work contracts have come to end. I won't dwell on that as it's still a little raw :-( Looking on the bright side, I have got to be part of a number of 'bucket list' expeditions as deserters tick the boxes on their 'things to do before you leave' lists.

One such adventure led me to join a horse riding trail along the beaches with Spicelands one morning just before popping off to the office for the average working day. We were joined by some tourists from New Jersey and talking to them en route highlighted issues that most tourists are likely to face. They found a lack of up-to-date information about what to do on the island before they arrived and then difficulties with logistics when they did work out what they wanted to do.



Admittedly booking a horse ride was not as easy as I'd anticipated. You have to know what you want in order to get it (like so many things in life, sadly). We wanted to ride on the beaches but in peak season you can only do that at 7am but I only know that from word of mouth rather than any information I found and certainly not straight from the horse's mouth - although that would make life a lot easier! Then there was the issue of finding the stable. I must have gone past them hundreds of times on my travels but when you are trying to find the place before sunrise, you're still half asleep and neon signs that you can actually see are a no-no, it all becomes a little complicated. It's these finer details that stick in your mind as negatives when you are on holiday and your trying to make the most of every last second of freedom and instead you're bogged down in admin.

Yep, with holidays it's the whole package deal that counts, limiting the emotional excess baggage and getting value for money and a smile at every turn. I'm just hoping that the policymakers remember that before they overly concern themselves with digging deeper shipping channels when they should maybe try scratching just below the surface to create those magic moments dusted with sparkling customer service and a smidgeon of charisma. Come on Bermuda, show them why you rock and you're not just some random rock no one wants to visit...

Monday, September 12, 2011

To Labour or not to Labor...

In PR land, August is commonly known as 'silly season' due to the lack of hard news it generally generates. Here in Bermuda there's been plenty of silliness to populate the summer season but a surprising abundance of real news centring around a number of labour disputes. You can't blame a worker for picking this time of year when the weather is at its sweetest to wanna down tools.

Unfortunately it is also the time of year when the island is at its busiest with tourists, ready to be inconvenienced and put off for vacationing here for life. Not a great way to go in a struggling economy Bermuda!

There was an eight-week bus strike after drivers were up in arms by the sacking of a colleague who refused a drug test after an accident that injured a passenger. This rather shady grey matter is finally expected to be sorted through arbitration. Then came a strike notice from City of Hamilton workers disgruntled by the sacking of two colleagues. A ban on overtime for dockworkers as a cost-saving measure has led to delays in food shipments that come into Bermuda on Sundays reaching supermarket shelves and restaurants. As if the lettuce wasn't limp enough already! Then it was the prison workers threatening a strike over 'sub-human' conditions as they claim to face more dangerous criminals than ever before. With many of the island's working population off-island on vacay, it begged the question who was on the island and functioning last month. Would the last one to leave the island please turn off the light!!


As we hit the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 5, most the disputes had reached some sort of resolution. Oh the irony, if they had continued over this U.S. celebration of the economic and social contributions of workers. However it wasn't all best foot forward towards as unions threatened to boycott this very day's festivities, marking the 30th year that the date has been observed in Bermuda. The unions felt it was "counterproductive” to participate in celebrations as they see International Workers’ Day on May 1 to be “the true Labour Day.” I've gone cross-eyed, isn't it counterproductive to strike about something so seemingly trivial in the first place?! Come on people, let's sit down and settle this over a nice tea break. 


All this silliness led me to make the most of the day off rather than spend it pounding the pavements with a placard. I went off to Chicago, which certainly lived up to expectations that it would be my kind of town. Skyscrapers, shopping, sunshine, Starbucks washed down with more than a few cheeky vinos, cosmos and slices of deep pan to the sounds of ja-aa-azzz. I learnt that Chicago is actually known as the 'windy city' for its political uncertainties as a swing state rather than the high winds off Lake Michigan as often assumed. 




Back on the island we're are in the full throngs of dealing with physical winds. We missed the lovely Irene on the way out by a mere few days, only to be greeted by the far too friendly Katia on our return. Luckily she turned out to have more pout than puff for this little island. Now Maria is hot on her heels this week, but it's too early to tell whether her she will strut her stuff this way and make a swing for us with an over-stuffed handbag. Nevertheless I'll be hurricane-force super-glued to the highly addictive www.stormpulse.com once again...