First quarter arrivals are down 8.11 per cent to 44,845 total visitors. In 2007 first quarter visitor arrivals were 48,801.
According to a Government press release air arrivals accounted for 41,729 of the total arrival number for the first quarter, a decline of 8.94% when compared to the same period in 2007.
Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown said in a press release: "The first quarter visitor statistics reveal Bermuda is not immune to the economic slowdown in the United States. Fortunately for us, our core market remains affluent travelers who have proven less susceptible to an economic slowdown. If not for that silver lining I suspect the first quarter statistics would have been worse.
"As is the case in other local travel sectors around the globe, there is an indication that the US economic slowdown is affecting travel patterns. In addition, factors such as the high cost of fuel have also had an impact on visitor arrivals."
Visitors staying at resort hotels for the first quarter of 2008 are down 13%.
Cruise visitors remained steady, reporting a slight increase of just over 1%.
The economic slide had a trickle down effect on convention travel. Convention moved from 3,863 in 2007 down to 2,261 in 2008. However 2007 was an extremely high performance year for conventions with a 40.8% increase over 2006 due largely to business at the Fairmont Hotels. The 2006 figure was 2,744, more inline with this year's first quarter performance in convention travel.
The estimated visitor expenditures for the first quarter of 2008 ranged from $42.3 million to $50.7 million, with average per person expenditure ranging from $1,013 - $1,216, up from a range of $979 - $1,088 in 2007.
Premier Brown said: "It's encouraging to see that visitors coming to Bermuda consistently spend more when they get here. That sort of injection is critical for all of our tourism related businesses. I'm also encouraged that visitors coming to visit during this economic downturn are staying more than six nights per visit on average. That is on par with previous years."
