"22 arrival of Princess Louise, the daughter
of Queen Victoria and wife of the Gover
nor of Canada. In the cold winter
months she fled the harsh Canadian cli
mate and discovered this island in the
Atlantic Ocean with its mild tempera
tures. Her enthusiasm for the island's
beauty spread amongst the well-to-do
of those days, with the result that in a
relatively short space of time Bermuda
gained its fame as an island paradise.
'Between the two world wars the
tourist industry in Bermuda was al
ready highly developed', explains Peter
Smith, marketing director of the Ber
muda Department of Tourism. 'But in
the 'fifties tourism grew extremely
quickly. Because the island is so small,
we had to map out a careful tourist pol
icy. For a period of thirty years we had
a phasing policy to prevent large-scale
changes in the environment. Over the
past fifteen years a moratorium has
been imposed on the building of new
hotels and guesthouses.'
So the authorities are aiming to pre
vent an uncontrolled growth in accom
modation. At the same time the quality
of the existing accommodation has to
he safeguarded. Besides this, the de
partment is also active in tourist pro
motion work. From its offices in
Frankfurt and London it informs the
European tourist about Bermuda via
brochures, advertising and the produc
tion of films and video presentations.
The Department of Tourism's Euro
pean activities are a response to the
trend that is expected in the years
ahead. The number of visitors from the
United States will decline (to an esti
mated 77% of the total), whilst there will
be growing interest from the U.K. and
Europe. The total number of tourists vis
iting Bermuda each year will, the De
partment expects, remain the same.
Economy
Tourism is the principal source of
income on Bermuda The island's econ
omy depends on it for 65%. Eleven
thousand people have jobs directly or
indirectly linked to tourism. The re
maining 35% is accounted for by the in
ternational business sector, which pro
vides employment for more than five
thousand people. 'This sector is grow
ing rapidly and brings in more revenue
than tourism', claims Grant Gibbons,
managing director of Gibbons Company
Limited and Chairman of the Sales Di
vision of the Chamber of Commerce. Ac
cording to Gibbons, Bermuda is cur
rently at a crossroads in its economic
history. 'In the next few years major
decisions will have to be taken on how
much we need to slow down our
economic growth rate so as to preserve
the island's character. We have to
choose between the environment and
business.'
The problem facing Bermuda is that
the island is simply too small for the
number of people staying there
(whether permanently or as visitors).
Population growth as a result of immig
ration is therefore watched with eagle
eyes by the local authorities. 'The is
land's infrastructure is not suitable for
so many people', explains Grant Gib
bons. In the case of international
businesses expertise has to be recruited
from outside, as Bermuda's very limited
potential workforce - the island has no
involuntary unemployment - does not
comprise enough employees with the
specialist expertise. But, for the reasons
outlined above, the government is put
ting the brake on the recruitment of
specialists from outside the island. One
thing is certain: Bermuda will never
turn into a sort of Monte Carlo, with
tower blocks and overcrowded streets.
Tourism is too important a source of
revenue to let that happen. And if the
tourists stayed away, that would be a
severe financial blow for the country's
economy. And might even prove its
death-knell.
Frozen noses
Bermuda is popular for its mild cli
mate. Contrary to what many people
think, Bermuda is not a tropical island.
The sun shines there abundantly during
many months of the year, but the island
does have a winter period as well, yet
we shouldn't immediately imagine
people walking round with frozen
noses. During the summer, which lasts
from March through October, the day
time temperature can climb to around
90°F (33°C). Frost is unknown. The wea
ther on Bermuda in winter is unpredict
able. As is proved by the saying: 'If you
don't like the weather on Bermuda,
stick around for another ten minutes.'
On average it rains on Bermuda 140
to 150 days a year, though this does not
mean that it rains all day. Often there
may only be a brief cloudburst. The loc
als are happy about that, since the is
land has no natural water sources.
Every homeowner has to provide for his
own individual water supply. He does
that by collecting rainwater from his
roof and piping it into storage tanks un
derneath the house. As Bermuda is not
polluted, this water does not have to be
purified before being used.
The absence of natural water
sources was the main reason why a brew
ery group decided fifteen years ago
against building a small brewery on the
island. Water is one of the most impor-
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN