Bermuda Tourism Minister Details the Destination’s Land and Sea Travel Surge

The North Atlantic archipelago has traditionally struggled to attract airlift but this year welcomed more direct flights than at any time in the island’s history, according to Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) officials.

In all, 16 flights will service Bermuda this season, with first-half 2024 air capacity higher by 28 percent year-over-year. A total of 61,619 airline travelers visited Bermuda between January 1 and July 1 of this year, an 11.4 percent year-over-year increase.

Major carriers American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have restored some routes to the island, BTA officials said. Also, state carrier BermudAir this month debuted service to Boston.

A long-popular cruise destination, Bermuda is also posting resurgent cruise arrivals, welcoming 234,790 shipboard visitors between January 1 and July 1, a 12.3 percent year-over-year increase.

Bermuda’s once-sleepy hotel sector has also experienced a resurgence, with the first new properties in a generation and extensive renovations at existing resorts.

The BTA and the Bermuda Tourism Ministry have also partnered in initiatives to attract more African American travelers from its key East Coast source markets to Bermuda, citing cultural ties to the destination.

TravelPulse spoke recently with Owen Darrell, the island’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, to learn more about the country’s burgeoning tourism industry.

TP: How have you been able to increase airlift, an area in which the destination has struggled at times?

OD: The Ministry of Transport along with (BTA) and I have worked together with airlines to increase service from some traditional destinations. We now have four flights out of New York daily, on a seasonal basis.

When I say New York, I’m talking about the New York area. So United has a flight, Delta has a flight and American Airlines has a flight. It speaks to some of the marketing and some of the events that we’re putting in there.

TP: Why do you compare the travel time to Bermuda to crossing New York City?

OD: It’s become cliche but it’s true. I was in New York in June and it took me considerable time to get from one part of Manhattan to another. For East Coast travelers, especially from New York it’s a quick hop [to Bermuda] and you can get there quicker than to certain parts of New York City.

Also, the increased airlift has made travel to Bermuda more attractive. It’s also lowered the fare. The competition has made the fares lower.

TP: You’ve previously said Bermuda wants to attract more African American travelers. How can you accomplish that?

OD: It’s interesting that over 60 percent of our population is of Black and African heritage. But when you look at their population among our visitors, those numbers are not as representative.

So cultural events and sporting events like [ricket tournament] Cup Match are more what we’re trying to get out there, especially on the East Coast.

TP: How have you positioned Cup Match to honor Bermuda’s African ancestry?

OD: We changed the event a couple of years ago so the second day of Cup Match honors [Bermudian author and abolitionist] Mary Prince and the first day of Cup Match honors emancipation [established in Bermuda on August 1, 1834].

TP: What other initiatives are you undertaking to attract Black travelers?

OD: One of the biggest events happening this weekend in Washington D.C. is Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) weekend. We have a representative in Washington D.C. that speaks on political matters, [but] we’re going to be having conversations with the [with Black legislators] and BTA Marketing team and others.

TP: Why do you believe this approach will be effective?

OD: As minister of tourism, I’m going to be leaning on relationships with individuals at historically black colleges and universities [HBCUs] and individuals who have executive positions in different organizations.

I’ve interacted with a lot of [Black professionals], and they’re saying to me, ‘You mean to tell me that there is a direct route from Washington D.C. [so] in the middle of the summer I can get to Bermuda in in less than two hours and have this cultural and sporting experience?

TP: How have you been able to reinvigorate Bermuda’s previously sleepy hotel segment?

OD: In 2017, we looked at many of our hotels and realized they’re aging. The millennial and Gen Z travelers, if they’re going on vacation there are certain modern amenities they expect to have. The beautiful sunset and beautiful beach for some individuals are not going to keep them coming back.

So what we did was to help [hoteliers] invest in infrastructure and development [through] the Tourism Investment Act. If a hotel is investing more than 50 percent of what value of the property is in development, then we will consider that a new hotel.

TP: What are the implications of the legislation?

OD: [Hotel operators] are now able to get direct tax relief and different concessions that make it more palatable and financially for someone with that older property or someone who wants to build a new property to say, ‘You know what this is going to be an investment that makes sense to me on the back end.’