numbers continue to decline, new statistics show.

Up to the end of September 441,596 people had arrived in Bermuda by air or cruise ship - a fall of more than eight percent on 1994.

But a breakdown of visitors by country shows people from Bermuda's traditional US market are seeking alternative destinations.

In September alone the number of people coming from the US fell by an average of 14 percent, in August numbers fell by 19 percent on average and in July by an average of 16 percent.

Increases in arrivals from Europe and Canada, which were up by 14 and 11 percent respectively, failed to make up the difference in the drop from the US. Between them they accounted for just 2,900 arrivals in September.

In September a total of 47,129 people arrived on the Island -- with visitors from the US accounting for almost 40,000 -- a fall of 8.4 percent on the same time last year. Of the arrivals, just under 12,000 came by ship.

The August figures showed that 67,837 people arrived in total - down 6.3 percent on the same time last year -- and in July, 74,796 people arrived, a drop of 2.9 percent.

Cruise ship passengers accounted for 28,300 of the arrivals in August and for 31,200 in July.

In terms of the total number of nights visitors stayed -- a key indicator of how much they spend while on holiday -- the numbers up to the end of September were substantially down on the same time in 1994.

The total number of "bed nights'' in large hotels was 881,000, down five percent on the first nine months of last year. Small hotels also suffered a decline, registering 218,000 bed nights up to September, compared with almost 240,000 over the same time last year.