Statistics Bulletin: Imports, Employment, Visitors
According to the 2015 Q4 Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics, imports declined 3.1%, employment income increased 1.9%, and the Island hosted 42,387 air visitors during the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 1.2% year-over-year.
Imports
The report said, “Imports declined 3.1 per cent to $225.4 million. The decline was due mainly to a 46.9 per cent drop in fuel imports. The value of imports for the machinery commodity group decreased 8.4 per cent and imports of food, beverages and tobacco decreased 7.5 per cent. In contrast, imports from all other commodity groups increased.
“Imports from the United States of America fell $31.2 million during the fourth quarter while imports from the Caribbean fell $1.1 million, both reflecting lower imports of fuel. Imports from Canada rose $17.1 million reflecting primarily the shift in fuel imports from the United States of America and the Caribbean. Imports from the United Kingdom and all other countries also recorded increases.
Chart extracted from the report:
Employment Income by Industry
The report said, “Employment income increased 1.9 per cent or $14.3 million. The Hotels and Restaurants sector recorded the largest percentage increase in remuneration of 6.3 per cent due to increased employee numbers, wages and gratuities. International business contributed the largest value increase of $10.3 million reflecting higher salaries, bonuses and allowances.
Arrivals and Expenditure
“The Island hosted 42,387 air visitors during the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 1.2 per cent year-over-year. Estimated total expenditure by air visitors declined 6.8 per cent to $50.4 million compared to the same period of 2014. Visitors spent $5.4 million less on accommodation and food but $1.7 million more on shopping, entertainment and transport services.
“A total of twenty cruise ships visited the Island carrying 48,344 passengers. Total expenditure for these passengers was estimated at $5.8 million. In comparison, $7.2 million was spent by cruise visitors during the same period in 2014 despite an equal number of cruise ship visits and fewer cruise passengers.
Chart extracted from the report:
Hotel Accommodations
“At the end of October 2015, there were 2,474 workers employed within the hotel industry. The level of employment increased by 23 employees, representing an additional 24 Bermudians and one less non-Bermudian.
“Hotel gross receipts totaled $50.8 million. This represented an increase of 4.5 per cent or $2.2 million. Of the total receipts, $2.3 million was attributed as income earned from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Series held during the period.”
The full Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics follows below [PDF here]:
A reality check.
This Q4 Statistics Bulletin contains scary information about Tourism in 2015. Though all the ‘interested parties’ are currently upbeat about the information as reported and displayed, the numbers tell a completely different story. The numbers tell us:
Total Arrivals – 597,210 – fifth highest total arrivals ever seen
Total income – $333,100,000 – lowest total Tourism income seen since before 1987.
Total Air Arrivals – 219,814 – lowest ever Air Arrivals. All time low since before 1987
Total Cruise Arrivals – 377,396 – fifth highest since 1987.
It’s really the same sad story. Total dollar income from Tourism falling. Air Arrivals falling. Cruise Arrivals staying high. But dollar income from Cruise Arrivals falling and lowest since 2005 with only $62,100,000 earned from Cruise Arrivals in 2015.
Overall Tourism is still heading South.
It also appears that America’s Cup events did not result in any uptick in Air Arrivals in 2015. Or, Air Arrivals for the America’s Cup events compensated for a further drop in ordinary Air Arrivals.
Reality Check.
Agreed – look how many will “dislike” the truth.
We need to focus our efforts on emerging markets – the “other” countries the tables refer to…the only visitor arrival segment that actually rose in 2015 albeit modestly.
As is the reality in the West – their time at the top of the heap has come to an end. The new axis of economic strength is now in the East – for reasons a little to complex to briefly detail here… If our leaders have not recognized this and adjusted their business/trade/investment strategies accordingly woe be unto them and us.
Cruise visitors tend not to spend a whole lot in port, this is not only an issue in Bermuda, it’s the same in almost every port.
Since Bermuda has a limited inventory of hotel rooms we are limited in the number of are arrivals that we’ll see.. Unfortunately, until we get some hotels built what you see is what you get!
But we already know Q1 16 tourism stats are the best for eight years.
Funny how you forgot that isn’t it.
Zevon,
Q1 stats for 2016 are the best for eight years?
The bottom-line is that at $333.1 million, overall revenue from all Tourism for all of 2015 is just a little higher than the $329 million earned from Tourism in 1983 – when costs and prices were way lower than in 2015.
Overall, in 2015, per person spending by both Air Arrivals and Cruise Arrivals are down. That is seen and reported in this Q4 summary for 2015.
A small uptick in Q1 2016 doesn’t represent or portend a revival of Tourism. Instead it looks more like a desperate hanging-on.
Reality Check.
Yep. Q1 16 stats were the best for eight years.
You call it a “small uptick”. It was a 14% increase in air arrivals YOY.
But then you PLP lot never were much good at understanding numbers, were you.
We all know how much you hate any sign of good news.
Q1 would be Bermuda’s off season for tourism though. I’m not understanding the point you are making. Typical OBA fanboy just trying to have a say.
Q1 was a great quarter, with a sizeable increase in air arrivals. It was the best result for eight years. Why is that difficult to understand? “Reality Check” decides to simply ignore it. I think we all know why.
Zevon, tourism is not a PLP or UBP or OBA , or Zeron Political Party, it’s about Bermuda overall performance in attracting tourist and how the country need new strategies , less political spin off. Fair points have been raised on this issue, Bermuda need to work together
I will pay you $1 an hour to run from the Airport to Hamilton and then Dockyard in 2017 and keep up with custom/immigration stamps.
Don’t blow it fool.
When will the UBP/OBA realize that a new free airport isn’t the answer ?
You don’t want new jobs then. Got it.
When did the OBA ever state that the new airport would be the answer. The airport is not the answer, but it will make a significant contribution to employment, as well as the first and last impression visitors see when they come to Bermuda. The airport we have right now is an eyesore and does not give us the image that we are a first class destination.
Yeah! Why have an airport at all?
@Zevon seems like you always the smartest guy in the room and everybody else is stupid. Give it a damn break!!