The Wrong Flag

I have to admit to being somewhat sceptical about the likely impact of the new “Pop By” flag programme just launched by Bermuda’s Department of Tourism.

The hope seems to be that we’ll cart around one of these luridly coloured flags with us every time we go out, to signal to our visitors that we 're glad they're here and would welcome the opportunity to chat with them. The idea presumably being to demonstrate that Bermudians really are as friendly as the hype would have our visitors believe.

But I'd suggest that unhelpful locals on the beach aren't responsible for any perceived decline in the friendliness of Bermudians. It's surly service in some of our stores, restaurants and public transport system, not to mention a perception that crimes such as bag-snatching and hotel room breakins are increasingly common. The flag programme won’t change that.

Be that as it may, I think the Department of Tourism missed an opportunity here. Had they just used Bermudian flags in their campaign, perhaps they could have encouraged a sense of kinship among the locals as well as between us and our visitors.