Opposition Senators blasted Government for spending much more than other countries to lure visitors in yesterday's Tourism debate.

United Bermuda Party Senator Bob Richards said Bermuda spent $62.97 per visitor compared to Florida which spent 46 cents and Las Vegas which spent $2.01 per each visitor.

Noting that many visitors drove to those destinations he said the comparison with Hawaii served as a better example - where $9.35 was spent for each visitor who arrived.

He said Bermuda's tourism budget, split between the numbers who came, worked out at $33.79 per head or $62.97 if you knocked off the numbers who came via cruise ships.

"Compare that with Hawaii at $9.35 — that's a huge difference."

And Opposition Senate Leader Kim Swan said for the $40.3 million Bermuda spend on tourism to entice 640,000-plus visitors was poor value compared with other islands.

Instead of spending $62 per visitor he said Bahamas spend $13 while Barbados spent $22 and Jamaica spent $14.

"We are some four or five times more than other island destinations."

He said if you divided the tourism budget between the 3,500 rooms available in Bermuda it cost more than $11,500 per room.

Sen. Swan repeated his call for a tourism authority to handle Bermuda's marketing although he did praise Government's success in luring the golf Grand Slam which will reap big marketing dividends.

But he said it could create a golfing demand which Bermuda might not be able to meet and he queried what had happened with the plans to develop Morgan's Point.

He welcomed the fact that yacht arrivals were up but said many more could be enticed by expanding the restrictive three-week limit for yachters to stay.

Government Senator Wayne Caines had begun the debate by saying tourism was on the up with air arrivals increasing 10.9 percent, cruise arrivals up 36 percent and yacht arrivals up 56 percent.

He said visitor satisfaction was at 99 percent according to exit surveys with 77 completely satisfied and 22 percent mostly satisfied.

Hotel occupancy rates were at 63 percent said Senator Caines — up from 56.9 percent in 2005.

Independent Senator Carol Anne Bassett said more planned activities were needed for tourists as she praised the beach volleyball tournament held last year.

Bermuda's beaches were an underused resource said Sen. Bassett.

Opposition Senator Gina Spence-Farmer called for more help in getting the entertainment nights at the Spinning Wheel better attended.

She said often no-one went. "Eight percent of the season it was empty."

On the last night she said the Premier and a number of other people turned up but she said they had been bussed there.

"How will it be dealt with? It was very, very sad. There was a lot of work setting up and waiting night after night, not having people come in was very stressful."

Replying later to Opposition criticism about the large proportion of cruise arrivals Sen. Caines said it was an interim measure while Bermuda reinvests in its hotels - after a 30-year hiatus in new building.

And he denied UBP claims that the economy was overheating with all the new building and said it was necessary to ensure Bermuda had the very best hotels.

Responding to figures produced by the UBP Sen. Caines said: "You can have statistics say anything." But he said visitor surveys provided hard and fast data.

To which Sen. Richards responded: "Because they are yours. That's ridiculous."