why the Island's tourism industry is in decline.

Mrs. Mello, from Warwick, said her daughter Nicola is having to drastically scale back the number of guests coming to her wedding this summer because they cannot afford to come to the Island.

She believes airlines need to slash prices and hotels need to be more affordable if the tourist trade is to recover.

Her plight highlights how the Island's high prices are making it difficult to attract visitors. Mrs. Mello said she was frustrated to find out that it costs more to fly from the US to Bermuda than it does to travel in the other direction.

She said some members of her church are opening up their homes to take in wedding guests.

Mrs. Mello told The Royal Gazette : "I hear so much about tourism being down, and what I've learned in the last two months I can tell them why.

"The hotels are around $300 a night and they can't afford that, and then there are the airline tickets on top of that.

"Even the guest houses are $120 a night. I'm middle class and I can't afford these prices.

"When I was away in the US last year I could not believe it was $634 to get here in August. I called all the airlines and they confirmed it is more expensive to come from the US to Bermuda than it is for Bermudians to leave to go to the US.

"My daughter is a Bermudian and she has to get married here, but only nine people are coming to this wedding because it is so expensive. The airlines have said they can give ten percent off for a wedding, but even that is expensive. These are the types of things that are keeping the tourists away.''