Hoteliers should brace themselves for a busier winter than last year.

That was the verdict from the Bermuda Hotel Association (BHA), which last night banished any post-summer tourism blues by releasing figures showing "strong projections of growth for the forthcoming golf and spa season".

Compared to room bookings in November and December 2005, the same months this year are up 23 and 26 per cent respectively. January and February of next year are up 110 and 148 per cent 12 months on.

While February, March and April are so far up 148, 108 and 49 per cent on the same spells a year earlier.

The BHA was last night unable to provide the actual number of bookings for November 2005 to April 2006, which would show exactly how many more visitors were planning to come to Bermuda this fall, winter and spring.

BHA chief John Harvey, however, said several factors were behind the impressive percentage increases.

He praised the "hard work" and "integrated strategic marketing efforts" of various organisations in the Island's hospitality industry. Mr. Harvey singled out the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism's sales and marketing committee and airline committee, the BHA, the Department of Tourism and advertising agency Global Hue for praise.

"We are working closer together than ever before," stated Mr. Harvey.

"The sales and marketing committee has introduced two aggressive value-added winter promotions for group and transient business of which we are now starting to see the results of our efforts."

Another factor was the increase in affordable air fares.

Mr. Harvey added: "We will continue to monitor this growth with our partners so that we can ensure that the momentum continues well into 2007."

The new hotel occupancy projections come hot on the heels of fresh statistics showing rising numbers of tourists heading to the Island. The figures, released last month, confirmed that more visitors came to Bermuda in the first nine months of 2006 than during the whole of 2005.