Businessweek & Forbes: BDA Tourism Declining
On the heels of much debate over whether legalized gaming would help tourism, as well as disputes over paid airline incentives, it seems Bermuda’s tourism statistics are consistently declining according to reports from Businessweek, Forbes and more.
Businessweek and Forbes, via the Associated Press, are reporting that:
- Bermuda’s air arrivals in 2009 decreased by close to 11% compared to 2008
- Arrivals have declined every quarter since the final three months of 2007.
- Total count of American visitors dropped 1% to 33,152
- Number of tourists from Britain dropped 10%
- Number of tourists from Canada 4%
- Overall visitor spending fell 23% to $266 million
Locally, Shadow Minister for Finance Bob “ET” Richards had stated during his reply to the budget:
The 235,000 air visitors to Bermuda in 2009 — 40 percent of whom were business people and people visiting relatives and friends — is the lowest tourist total in more than 40 years.
