The Bermuda Department of Tourism has announced that its tourist office at LF Wade International Airport is now a self-service facility.
Previously the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) at the airport had been staffed. However from April 1 2009, new arrivals will only be able to collect brochures, maps, and other printed material.
Manned tourist offices are available in St George, Hamilton, and Royal Naval Dockyard.
Bermuda’s Annual Exhibition will be held at the Bermuda Botanical Gardens April 16 to 18 2009.
To mark Bermuda’s 400th anniversary the theme of this year’s event will be ‘Celebrating 400 years of agriculture, horticulture, and tradition.’
USA3000 will resume its direct flight service from Baltimore to Bermuda this summer.
The airline will commence flights from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport (BDA) on June 11 2009. The service will run until August 16 2009.
Flights are scheduled on Thursdays and Sundays with one-way fares starting at $99.99.
USA3000 are based in Pennsylvania and operate a fleet of Airbus A320 airplanes.
A food and drink festival in Bermuda has been cancelled due to the current economic crisis.
The Bermuda Gourmet Getaway was scheduled to be held February 26 to March 2 2009 at the Fairmont Southampton hotel and other locations around the island.
A statement on the event’s website reads ‘Due to the current economic climate and, more importantly the effect on our various sponsors we have no choice but to postpone the 2009 event. The BGG will now be held on Thursday February 25th through Monday March 1st, 2010.’
The Phoenix Store will open a new pharmacy at the Royal Naval Dockyard in April.
The new store will cater primarily to cruise ship passengers docking at the former naval base.
The company also plans to move its store in the Clarendon Building to the new Victoria Place development on Victoria Road, Hamilton.
Restoration work on the Deliverance is on schedule for completion next month.
The replica of the famous ship in St George had fallen into disrepair in recent years but was saved from demolition by the St George’s Foundation, aided by a $300,000 grant from the Bank of Bermuda Foundation.
Once the work is complete, visitors will be able take tours of the vessel and view multi-media presentations illustrating its history.
The Fairmont Southampton resort has announced 35 job losses as the credit crunch begins to hit Bermuda.
Other cost-cutting measures being undertaken by the hotel include closing 50 percent of its guest rooms until April, operating restaurants on a rotational basis until the summer season, and temporarily ceasing its free ferry service to Hamilton.
The Bank of Bermuda has announced that it will close its branch at LF Wade International Airport on February 6 2009.
Staff from the airport branch will be located to the branch in St George.
The bank has reassured the public that their ATMs and cash deposit services at the airport will remain operational.
A famous wine and spirit shop in the town of St George has shut its doors.
Gosling’s have closed their store in York Street due to a lack of trade. The move is a direct result of the reduced number of cruise ships visiting the historic town.
In the 2009 cruise season the only ship docking at St George on a regular basis is the Norwegian Majesty. In 2008 both the Norwegian Dream and the Norwegian Majesty docked in the town.
Bermuda took a step towards allowing casinos on the island with an announcement last week of a feasibility study on gaming.
The joint venture between the Government and the Bermuda Hotel Association sees the Innovation Group appointed to conduct a study that would cover a casino gaming market assessment, the feasibility of a Bermuda lottery, gaming legislation, tax and revenue considerations, and the social and economic impact of gaming on Bermuda and its people.
In June the Government announced plans to allow cruise ships to operate casinos while in port.