It’s disappointing to hear of the recent change to Viking Cruises itineraries resulting in the cruise line cancelling its St. George’s stay-over. Even though at its core, it is a logistical decision made by Viking Cruises, it speaks to the lack of infrastructure, namely the absence of a consistent ferry service to the East End.
St George’s is the historical heart of Bermuda and, once again, it seems like we are being left out in the cold. We have seen glimmers of hope for tourism in the Old Towne, with restaurants opening back up after Covid-19 restrictions, the new St. Regis hotel and an influx of tourists expected from the cruises. Now it feels like some of that hope has been taken away.
The people of St George’s need to feel like their concerns are being not only being heard, but acted upon. But this doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment.
It’s imperative that all of Bermuda’s stakeholders work collaboratively for the tourism industry to succeed. These stakeholders should include taxis, buses, restaurants, Stevedoring Services and our union partners.
Reinstating some kind of regular ferry service to the town might not solve all of our issues but it would be a good start.