The 2017 Throne Speech laid out the government’s commitment to a better, fairer Bermuda. The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism has several initiatives designed to create new business and entrepreneurial opportunities while enhancing and modernizing our tourism product. Today, I will speak to you on several initiatives that the Ministry will be advancing over the next year.
With jobs for non-Bermudians continuing to grow while Bermudian jobs are lost in the tourism industry, it is clear that a new approach is needed to ensure that Bermudians come first in jobs and opportunities in our own country. The Government, working in tandem with the Department of Immigration, the Department of Workforce Development and stakeholders, will conduct an industry-wide skills and needs assessment of the tourism industry to identify areas where unemployed or underemployed Bermudians can be trained to fill or be promoted into jobs currently held by non-Bermudians.
For Bermuda to realize its fullest potential we must have a well-trained, highly-qualified Bermudian work force where the only limit to growth and advancement is the ones that individuals put on themselves. To achieve this goal, we must ensure full alignment between the worker skill sets, industry demands, and the education and training being offered.
To further facilitate the entrance and development of Bermudians into the industry, The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Workforce Development will reform and revitalize the Bermuda Hospitality Institute (BHI) as a stronger, more effective vehicle for empowering our Bermudian people. The training and designations that the BHI offers will be enhanced to certify Bermudians so they can become stakeholders in the tourism industry.
Bermuda has long punched above our weight attracting global events such as the PGA Grand Slam and The America’s Cup. Events allow Bermuda to be seen and experienced by a wider global audience, draw visitors to Bermuda and help keep Bermuda front of mind in a very competitive tourism environment. From both the PGA Grand Slam and The America’s Cup, lessons have been learned and we intend to build on that legacy.
The Government will transform the ACBDA into the Bermuda Event Authority. This reformed body will build on the experience of hosting the America’s Cup. However, the new authority will be constituted to utilize a far more diverse and inclusive approach to finding, attracting and managing events and will work with all stakeholders to ensure that economic impact is felt by the many and not just the few. We believe that those who in the past were expected to live off scraps from the table, must now have a place at the table. Bermuda is more than golf, rugby and sailing, and there exists the capacity to grow events relating to sports, Arts and Culture and others that will attract younger, more cosmopolitan and more diverse visitors to our shores. Working alongside the Bermuda Tourism Authority, they will increase engagement with institutions and industries and seek out strategic partnerships aligned with our objectives. Also we must end the periodic over reliance on the local market to bring energy and volume spending to support some events.
For years Bermudians and visitors alike have sought to improve our local nightlife and entertainment. We seek a younger, more diverse and more cosmopolitan audience and to do that we must take a critical and constructive look at what we currently offer. To that end, The Ministry will engage in a consultative process with businesses, the unions and the people of Bermuda to identify and advance changes that will enhance our overall product, create new entrepreneurial opportunities and address the perception that there is “nothing to do in Bermuda.”
In closing, a better, fairer Bermuda is one that not only insures that there are more seats at the economic table, but is also one that invests in Bermudians and provides opportunities not just to be hired, trained and promoted, but to also own and run businesses of our own. In the months ahead, I will provide updates on these and other initiatives designed to do just that.