Bermuda’s Tourist Arrivals Fell 10.5 Percent

The primary purpose of almost 40 percent of visitors who flew to the Island last year was business or visiting friends and family, statistics released this week show.

Last year 235,860 visitors flew to Bermuda a 10.53 percent drop compared to 2008 and of those, 18 percent of visitors came for business and 16 percent to visit family and friends. Four percent of visitors came for a convention, down 24 percent compared to 2008.

On Thursday, Premier Ewart Brown released a detailed breakdown of the 2009 tourism figures and during the speech he said the Department of Tourism was aware of the role business people play in Bermuda’s hospitality industry.

And he said the number of visitors coming to see friends and family had risen over the years one reason overall visitor spending had dropped, although in 2009 those coming to see friends and family declined seven percent compared to 2008.

Convention business, which was hardest hit by the economic decline, saw a 24 percent decline in 2009 with only 8,487 people coming to the Island. But last week Shelley Meszoly, regional director of sales and marketing for Fairmont Bermuda, said she was “cautiously optimistic” for 2010.

In 2009, she said group bookings fell 30 percent at the Fairmont Southampton, reflecting a global trend. But she added: “We’re cautiously optimistic about 2010. It’s not going to be an easy year, but there is business out there and you can get it if you put out the right offer.”

Meanwhile, the Premier said the cruise ship industry was expected to generate $70 million for the economy this year. In Thursday’s yearend review of tourism the Premier projected a six percent increase in cruise arrivals in 2010 and said two cruise lines had already signed on for the 2011 season.