Minister: 2011 First Quarter Tourism Statistics

This morning [Apr.15] Minister of Business Development & Tourism Patrice Minors released the tourism statistics for the first quarter of 2011.

On air arrivals, Minister Minors said, “The number of air arrivals in the first quarter totaled 30,824, representing an increase of nearly 7% from 28,865 visitors in the first quarter of 2010.”

She said that as a result of the Westjet service and marketing efforts, “Canada continued to be the best performer with 6,469 arrivals, up an amazing 50% over the same period a year ago. Canada’s share of business increased to 21% for the period, up from 15%.”

“Total Visitor arrivals increased by 5.7% with the first three months of the year achieving a total of 31,779 visitors arriving in Bermuda during this period, up from 30,078 visitors in the first quarter of 2010,” said Minister Minors.

The average nights visitors stayed on the island decreased in the first quarter of 2011 from 6.63 nights to 6.23 nights. Average nights stay in commercial hotels and properties also declined slightly to 4.96 nights

Cruise visitation for the first quarter of 2011 ended at 675 visitors, a decline of 31% as only one ship sailed to the island during this period opposed to two during the same period in 2010. Yacht arrivals were where up almost 23% with 280 visiting yachtsmen sailing to the island during the first quarter of 2011, this compare to 228 yachtsmen sailing to the island during the same period in 2010.

Minister Minor’s full remarks follow below:

Good afternoon, thank you for joining me.

It’s hard to believe that we are already a quarter of the way through the year – and what a year it’s been so far.

This industry called tourism is one of the most exciting, most diverse, most challenging and most rewarding sectors I have ever had the pleasure of working in.
I have seen the passion of our hoteliers, our employers and employees who make up this industry – and I just want to say that I am humbled and thrilled to be a part of this collective team called Bermuda Tourism.

Ladies and gentlemen, today I want to briefly highlight our first quarter visitor arrival statistics as well as expand on some really great things that we have happening in the next few months.

Again, as I have done in media briefings past, I have chosen to host today’s event at one of our visitor properties.
Before I get into the numbers I just want to take a minute to recognise Mr. Mike Winfield, the President and CEO of Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa.

It’s no coincidence why we are here today.

Ladies and gentlemen, when I assumed the role of Minister of Business Development and Tourism, one of my first acts was to meet with members of the Bermuda Hotel Association and our hotel owners.

Part of my message to them was reaffirming that this Government fully supports their efforts to bolster Bermuda’s tourism product.

So today, I thought that it was only fitting that we convened at Cambridge to not only share some good tourism news, but to recognise one of Bermuda’s most dedicated and committed hoteliers and publicly congratulate him and the management and staff of Cambridge Beaches, Resort and Spa for recently being accepted as a member of Preferred Boutique, an elite collection of intimate hotels and resorts and a brand of Preferred Hotels Group.
Cambridge Beaches, the original cottage colony of Bermuda with over a century of service, has developed a reputation based on quality that brings guests back time and time again.
This is one of the most beautiful properties in Bermuda, and I would like to say on behalf of the Ministry of Business Development and Tourism – job well done!

Now on to the numbers… Just over six weeks ago we read a major headline that Bermuda was facing its worst winter in history and advanced bookings were showing unprecedented declines. It appears that we have achieved a major turnaround in fortunes since that February pronouncement.

After three years of first quarter declines, 2011 has started off in a very positive direction with gains in the all important air arrivals category in every month for the quarter.

January achieved a 5.5% increase, February increased by 2.7%, and March rebounded in pleasing fashion with a 9.9% increase over the corresponding period a year earlier.
The number of air arrivals in the first quarter totaled 30,824, representing an increase of nearly 7% from 28,865 visitors in the first quarter of 2010.

Canada continued to be the best performer with 6,469 arrivals, up an amazing 50% over the same period a year ago. Canada’s share of business increased to 21% for the period, up from 15%.

This result is directly due to the increased Westjet service as well as the heightened marketing effort of the tourism team in the past year.

Total Visitor arrivals increased by 5.7% with the first three months of the year achieving a total of 31,779 visitors arriving in Bermuda during this period up from 30,078 visitors in the first quarter of 2010.

This first quarter result represents the first upward movement in winter air arrivals in three years and we consider this a major step in the right direction.
The average nights visitors stayed on the island decreased in the first quarter of 2011 from 6.63 nights to 6.23 nights. Average nights stay in commercial hotels and properties also declined slightly to 4.96 nights

Cruise visitation for the first quarter of 2011 ended at 675 visitors, a decline of 31% as only one ship sailed to the island during this period opposed to two during the same period in 2010.

The first quarter is traditionally not an active period for the cruise visitor as the island usually receives a few smaller ships in the month of March.

Cruise arrivals are expected to pick up as the official cruise season begins in April/May with 2011 expected to be a record year for cruise visitation.

Yacht arrivals were where up almost 23% with 280 visiting yachtsmen sailing to the island during the first quarter of 2011, this compare to 228 yachtsmen sailing to the island during the same period in 2010.

Looking ahead for the next SIX months indicates even more positive news.
Advanced booking projections of the ten largest hotels that make up more than 75% of room inventory are revealing the most encouraging upturn in business that we have seen in the past four years.

Bookings in March increased by more than 20% over 2010 and April’s performance is projected to be up by more than 20 percent as well.

As a further insight into the upcoming months, our hotels have reported that May and June already have 10% more business on the books.

July and August already have 30% and 55% more room nights on the books than at the same period one year ago.
We believe that all the collaborative effort, our very focused marketing efforts, very creative packages by the hotels and a significant increase in the group and incentive business are prime factors that have caused this upsurge.

So we continue to be very positive that the tourism industry can improve if we all collectively work to this goal.

Ladies and gentlemen, we believe that the success we are experiencing with our arrivals and bookings have much to do with the current buzz about Bermuda overseas.
Bermuda continues to receive prominent coverage within the North American news media with several top national outlets slated to visit the island in the coming month.
National travel expert, radio host and TV personality Peter Greenberg is returning to Bermuda this coming weekend to shoot a video feature called “Hidden Gems of Bermuda”.
Mr. Greenberg, who broadcast his syndicated radio show from the Island just six months ago, will focus on providing an insider’s view to the Island while promoting activities and attractions less well known to the average tourist.

He will highlight Castle Harbour, local cuisine at The Fish Hut and Black Horse Tavern, experiencing the caves at Grotto Bay, and Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve, among other things.
Also visiting Bermuda is HGTV’s popular series “House Hunters International.” We are beyond excited that they will be filming not one, but two episodes in Bermuda.
The producers and a camera crew from the show will be here later this month to follow previous visitors to Bermuda who so loved the destination that they now want to purchase a home here.

This represents an incredible opportunity for exposure of Bermuda to millions, by showcasing some of our incredible properties.

In addition, Bermuda recently hosted 20 international members of the media during the just completed Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Conference held at Fairmont Southampton, as well as five journalists from Baltimore in conjunction with the launch of AirTran’s inaugural service from the gateway.
The Department of Tourism will also host a group of regional U.S. golf travel writers at the end of the month to pre-promote the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
Bermuda also has enjoyed extensive media exposure on the extension of its “Compliments of Bermuda” travel promotion with recent coverage including such regional and national outlets as the Buffalo News, Conde Nast Traveler, the Globe and Mail and Washington Post, amongst others.
On the airline front, last Thursday, April 7 – Bermuda welcomed the inaugural daily service of Airtran out of Baltimore. John Kirby, Senior Vice President of Airtran indicated that they were satisfied with the initial loads, the first weekend achieved 85%, but we do know that there is a lot of work to be done to build demand for any new service.

Director Griffith and his team will be meeting with Airtran’s Sales and Marketing executives on Monday April 18th to continue working on joint initiatives to ensure success for this service.

Atlanta’s new service commences on May 26, 2011 and plans are already in place for a warm welcome for the first arriving passengers.

We have outlined several initiatives in our core markets of North America but would like to reiterate that our focus is also maintained on the UK and European markets, especially Italy and Germany.

We achieved significant success with the UK winter compliments promotion, have heightened our awareness campaign with radio commercials tagged with our key partner British Airways and we are currently preparing to host seven major stations from the UK who will broadcast their shows live from the island on the week of May 24, 2011.

After more than four years of association with our Public Relations company, Rooster Inc, I can also report that this contract has been put out to public tender and it is our intention to make a decision on the appointment of the Public Relations agency of record by the end of May 2011.

Ladies and gentlemen on the entertainment front, I have indicated on previous occasions that one of my major objectives is to work with all stakeholders to ensure that local entertainment is improved and enhanced for our visitors.

I can report that there are some very exciting initiatives that are being developed within BDOT’s Sizzling Summer programmes.

We have engaged the hotel community in dialogue as this is the locale where most entertainers ply their trade. I anticipate being able to announce some exciting initiatives within the next few weeks.

I am pleased to note that Dockyard is set to come alive again this summer season.

The traditional Monday evening event, “Destination Dockyard” has been rebranded, “Royal Naval Nights”.

Organized by the West End Development Corporation and supported by the Bermuda Department of Tourism and Royal Caribbean International, this year’s event will commence on June 27th.
Spanning over 18 weeks, “Royal Naval Nights” will be a festival type event with live entertainment comprising of both local and cruise ship entertainers, traditional Bermudian vendors, food and drink stalls as well as our ever popular Gombey dancers.
Some other upcoming items of interest include the creation and implementation of a National Strategic Plan for Bermuda’s Tourism Industry.

The Tourism Board, which has been tasked with facilitating the creation of the Plan, will be holding a two-day Strategic Retreat on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1.
This Retreat will serve as the foundation to develop the scope and terms of reference for the strategic plan.
The Board will engage with relevant Tourism Stakeholders on this important initiative and these stakeholders will be required to bring their view and thoughts in a “Retreat” environment.

It has been confirmed that the two facilitators for this Strategic Retreat will be Peter Yesawich and Dr. Janet Ferguson.

Both of these individuals are accomplished facilitators.

Starting next week you will hear first hand from the Board Chair and members what steps they will be taking to ensure that they gather the most pertinent and relevant information for the Plan.

Lastly, ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow night I along with the Premier, the Hon. Paula Cox will attend the BELCO Visitor Industry Partnership Awards at the Fairmont Southampton.
There we will recognise some 54 ambassadors of the industry who have gone above and beyond to make Bermuda’s tourism product the best it can be, by exhibiting that charming and hospitable spirit that is unique to Bermuda.

Ending where I began in acknowledging Cambridge Beaches – this time I am recognizing three members of staff who have been nominated for tomorrow’s VIP Awards.
Executive Chef Keith DeShields, Food and Beverage Captain Diana DeSilva and Front Office Supervisor Florenta Mehedintu have all been singled out for their stellar service.
We want to publicly congratulate them for their achievement.

Ladies and gentlemen, the recognition of our home-grown talent for their service is a wonderful way to segway into the final aspect of my presentation.

One of my key missions since becoming Minister has been to ensure that Bermudians all become involved in the tourism industry.

Because no one can promote, sell, and excite the interest of Bermuda like we can.

So today I want to announce the official launch of the “Feel The Love Rewards” Campaign.
This programme rewards those friends of Bermuda, who bring visitors to the island by giving them cash back for every person who visits.

There are so many people out there who are passionate about Bermuda and we want to reward them for being ambassadors who deliver business to the Island.

We value those who have fallen in love with our destination and for those who call Bermuda home.
This incentive programme is designed to drive air travellers to our shores and encourage friends of Bermuda to continue spreading the word about all that Bermuda has to offer.
In the upcoming days, we will be blitzing overseas markets and our local market with the “Feel The Love Rewards” Campaign.

I was pleased to lend myself to the campaign and invite you to view the screen for a sneak peak.
Thank you.

#BermudaTourism

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