Not unexpected news that Elbow Beach's main building is closing for the next few years. Bad and unexpected news that the redevelopment will be on a much smaller scale.
Meanwhile, in a severe case of extremely bad timing, the PLP website headline reads "We're #1! Bermuda Receives Top Conde Nast Ranking" with the lead off line of:
"The Platinum Period revitalization of our tourism product is continuing to pay dividends."
This message discipline around the "Platinum Period" tag line in the face of all time low arrival numbers, hotel closures, layoffs and announcements of future announcements regarding hotel development is sheer message delusion.
If Dr. Brown, and the PLP in general, want to be taken seriously they have to drop the Platinum Period shtick and acknowledge reality. Saying that we're 'holding our own' is not reality. We are not 'holding our own'.
Continuing this delusion about tourism being in its ascendancy while it is in an accelerated decline will do serious long term damage to the PLP's credibility as well as Bermuda's long term economic prospects. Dr. Brown won't have to deal with that if he leaves office as he says he will next October, but someone will.
Who in the PLP will have the guts to tell them to drop the politics and focus on the policy. They say the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.
Government needs to stop trying to put a positive spin on things and peddle trumped up stats and empty promises. Build a viable economic model around tourism, and stop throwing money at vanity projects such as the Bermuda Music Festival, The Love Festival and other non-performing events.
Running tourism by press release has exhausted itself. Hard reality should have set in by now.
