?Bermuda?s tourism industry continues to face tremendous challenges, in spite of Government?s boasting of increased air arrivals during the second quarter of this year.?

That?s according to Shadow Tourism Minister, Senator Kim Swan.

Sen. Swan was responding to second quarter results which stated that air arrivals were up by 3.9 percent.

?Unfortunately, the Tourism Minister?s skill at public relations far exceeds his Ministry?s ability to translate increased air arrivals into real benefits for the people or the industry,? he said.

?Increased air service has been well received by the people of Bermuda and while the local consumer would naturally gravitate toward the increase in air service, it doesn?t produce the impact locally that is needed to fuel our economy.?

As for hotels, Sen. Swan said an increase in overseas tourists is required to translate into increased bookings. Increases, he said, had failed to materialise during the first six months of 2005 ? heralded as the turnaround period by the Progressive Labour Party.

?The inability to convey the message to potential visitors and translate the increased service into bed nights is at the root of our tourism problem,? Sen. Swan said.

?Visitors who arrive by air and stay in our hotels spend considerably more money per night than their cruise ship counterparts and for this reason we believe that visitor air arrivals should be the focal point of Bermuda?s marketing efforts.?

However, Sen. Swan added that the main concern for Bermuda is the ?public relations illusion? that Dr. Brown is attempting to sell.

?Giving the impression that tourism is doing well, whilst a key component of the industry, Bermuda-based hotels, are finding bookings and projections down, is deceptive at best.

?The decisions needed for a revitalised Tourism industry must be addressed separately from our people?s desire to travel and support jurisdictions outside our shores.?

He went on to say that air service which is snapped up by the Bermudian consumer and fails to translate into financial benefits locally, merely distracts from our efforts to revitalise our tourism industry.

Adding that politically, a happy Bermudian travelling consumer buys the PLP more time to experiment with tourism.

?However, with a budget of $35 million, three times more per visitor then our competitors are spending, the people deserve more than smoke and mirrors from their Government,? he said.

?If the PLP?s fairytale approach to revitalising the Bermuda Tourism industry prevails, tourism will continue to lack the effective decision making and the execution desperately needed to get tourism back on track.?

Sen. Swan said the time for political-based decision making in Tourism was over and it was time for the PLP to stop the ?deception? and get on with the real business of restoring Tourism as a strong and vibrant second pillar for our economy.

According to Fodor?s online website and forum, visitors and potential visitors to Bermuda also voice their concern at the high airfares.

One visitor wrote that he felt Bermuda was no longer a popular destination for Americans because he could not find a ?cheap? airfare from the Northeast ? nothing under $650 that is.

?Gas prices would explain some, but it seems way of whack with other places. I would think more popularity would mean more competition and then lower prices. For instance me and my wife can fly to San Juan for less than the cost of one ticket to Bermuda, and it?s twice the distance. I guess we?ll just keep watching and hope they drop,? another wrote.

But airline USA 3000 was praised by many for its flights from Newark and now Philadelphia.