Tourist arrivals for the first quarter of this year have dropped more than eight percent compared to same period last year, figures released today show.

The Bermuda Department of Tourism (BDOT) this morning released the first quarter visitor statistics for 2008 which show arrivals are down 8.11 percent to 44,845 total visitors. In 2007 first quarter visitor arrivals were 48,801.

Air arrivals accounted for 41,729 of the total arrival number for the first quarter, a decline of 8.94 percent when compared to the same period in 2007.

Premier Ewart Brown, who is also the Minister of Tourism and Transport, said: “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.”

A press release on the figures said: “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.”

The figures show that the U.K. and Canadian markets have remained steady with visitors from Canada up 1.5 percent and visitors from the U.K. up .01 percent for the first quarter. No numbers were issued with the release.

The release said visitors staying at resort hotels for the first quarter of 2008 are down 13 percent. Cruise visitors remained steady, reporting a slight increase of just over one percent.

According to the press release, 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 to $1,216, up from a range of $979 to $1,088 in 2007.

Dr. Brown added: “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.”

For the full story and reaction, see tomorrow’s Royal Gazette.