Minister: 2013 British Airways Bookings Up 39%

November 7, 2012

Minister of Business Development & Tourism Wayne Furbert said he is “delighted to share outstanding projections” announced by partners at the World Travel Market [WTM] in London this year.

The Ministry said that BA Holidays’, our largest tour operator, reported sales for Bermuda are up 36% year on year, whilst forward bookings for British Airways, until July 2013, are up an impressive 39% for 2013.

Minister Furbert, Miss Bermuda Rochelle Minors and the Gombeys at the WTM:

“We are thrilled with the success of our partnership with BA Holidays, which has produced outstanding results for Bermuda sales, despite the current economic challenges faced by UK holiday makers” says Minister Furbert.

“We are equally delighted with the ongoing support of British Airways this year, partnering with the BDOT to promote both the Avios and companion-goes-free offers, which have worked wonders for raising the profile of the destination and, importantly, increasing passenger numbers for the coming year by way over a third.

“With every effort in place to continue a tight collaboration with these and other UK partners and with more exciting promotions planned for 2013, we are extremely confident of meeting and exceeding targets over the next 12 months.”

The Minister, Director of Tourism along with a Queen Elizabeth look-a-like and others at the WTM:

The UK, along with Canada, continue to be key secondary markets for Bermuda. Hotel partners attending WTM with BDOT included representatives for Fairmont, Cambridge Beaches, The Reefs and Grotto Bay, all of which have reported increases in advanced bookings, as reflected in the most recent PACE reports. Saga Holidays is projecting a 400% increase in bookings for next year at Grotto Bay, the Ministry said.

Minister Furbert said: “This represents an exciting time for Bermuda following the recent launch of the new brand. BDOT will also be revealing new promotions very shortly to stimulate the market for further growth in 2013.”

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Comments (28)

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  1. Numerically Speaking says:

    Percentages mean nothing without real numbers behind them. If the minister and his ministry are going to wave flags (and subtly justify another jolly), at least have the decency to share real numbers with the public!!! Trying to baffle the public with large percentages is insulting at best! Simple maths will tell you that 4 is 400% of 1. If you had 1 booking this year for a certain hotel and are forecasting 4 bookings next year, that’s an increase of 400%!!!
    Actual numbers please!!!

    • Indeed says:

      Also, take into account that there are many more bermudian students going to school in England after we were granted local school costs….

      Polytrics, waynee boy knows em best!

      • formidable deviant says:

        And wasn’t there something called the Olympics? It’s ok, they’ll be back next year, and the year after.

  2. C.B.A says:

    So why are out hotel laying people off? I mean, according to Minister Furbert numbers all keep going up so you wold think hotels would be hiring people..

    • u says:

      Um..tourism jobs have increased according to Wayne. Didn’t you read the report?!

      • Pastor Syl Hayward says:

        He missed the recent lay-offs at South P. Oh! He must have been at the banquet.

  3. Joe Perry says:

    Plus, why have BA reduced the winter schedule flights from 6 a week to 5 a week, hardly reflects an upturn in numbers

  4. terry says:

    An election is looming.
    Seems to be a rallying cry amongst the PLP.
    We have to deceive you’ in order get your votes.

    • onion gal says:

      Numbers please as that will tell the true story not percentage!
      So at his time, I could not agree more with Terry.

  5. SoMuchMore says:

    numbers are up cause he and his team keep filling up the seats smdh! …using the people’s money to spend and travel… this gombeyment needs to fly off to mars!

    ______ and traveling since 1998!

  6. Future says:

    “sales for Bermuda are up 36% year on year, whilst forward bookings for British Airways, until July 2013, are up an impressive 39% for 2013.”

    Are we talking sales or bookings man? This could be a very misleading run on sentence.

    Is 36% the number of SEATS sold or revenue generated? Higher revenue can come from higher prices, not neccesarily more seats old.

  7. gibbo says:

    How about working on getting the BA fares down. That would be something to gloat about.

  8. JB says:

    Am I reading this right? BDOT pays for a companion to fly free and then claims bookings are up 39%. Well if that is true no wonder the numbers are up our tax dollars paid to inflate the arrivals. Do they pay for the hotel too out of our $

  9. SoMuchMore says:

    bookings can be up! it is possible that they are making bookings and than canceling them… that is still means that bookings are up lol

  10. whens the election says:

    all that is is more people going to live in england to live off the uk taxes

    • Numerically Speaking says:

      Commonly known as ‘welfare holidays’. Certainly the UK taxpayers would love that!

  11. Really? says:

    What is with the look alike Queen???? Bit strange?

    • Victor says:

      39% ahead of what? 10, 46, 500 – the percentage means nothing alone. The reality is that most bookings are made at most a couple weeks before departure, so Bozo stop deluding yourself,

  12. Boss Lady says:

    Bookings are up because more Bermudians are back and forth! Duhhh…

  13. HeyBye says:

    Bookings are up because of Int’l Biz .
    Crowing about numbers,trying to play up anything for election sake only.
    Got nothing to do with tourism

  14. Opressed says:

    My income for next year will be up 39%. Well, not really, it’ll be down 39%, but it makes me feel better and want to vote for myself!

  15. Mad Dawg says:

    It’s probably up from 100 to 139. Not exactly a big deal. But it’s election time, so let’s call it 39% and make it sound important. We won’t get found out until next year, by which time it will be too late.

  16. James says:

    400% increase! On what? 1? so we will get 4 tourists next year?
    How many of these so called tourists are really just visiting people who work here?
    Incidentally there used to be a zillion of them when we had expats here.
    In 31 years of getting that flight many times a year I have never sat next to anyone on BA that was not coming to Bermuda to visit an expat worker..
    I have never sat next to anyone who had just chosen Bermuda for a holiday.

  17. William says:

    Today it was announced that there was a certain resilience in the tourist market amongst 36 % pregnant women…lol Which was remarkably higher than the women who were only 23% pregnant.lol
    :)

  18. Kathy says:

    When are we going to get some competition to mainland Europe from Bermuda???????????? Government, can you please work on this in your next term!

  19. Kiskadee says:

    We need competition. BA prices keep going up and the service nothing like it was in years gone by. Come on Government and find us an affordable airline and then maybe we will have more tourists.

  20. Claudio says:

    Didnt BA cut flight service to BDA recently??