tourism industry in what could be the most important season for decades.

Premier Jennifer Smith will lead a summit of the Island's top tourism executives, including bosses of the largest hotels, as they look for vital signs from the trade.

The forum will hear of the private sector backed blueprint for tourism and check on the health of the season ahead and some of the planned and current projects.

Previously the forums have been held off-Island but now the focus has moved to Bermuda as both the public and private sectors keep their fingers crossed for the summer.

Tourism Minister David Allen has publicly stated his hope for arrival numbers to "bottom out'' this summer, laying the foundation for growth in the following years.

He is hoping numbers will level off this year and start to rise thereafter.

The private sector team that put together the long term strategy for tourism has set estimated targets for 2003.

But the expectations come after a poor 1999 which had the lowest air arrivals in 20 years. Although cruise numbers were up, there were some disappointing results from key US regions.

The year 2000 started in a similar vein with decreases in all American markets only tempered by a rise in the number of bed nights sold.

The loss of marketing muscle after the closure of the Belmont and Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort hotels left the Island with three hotel chains and a bed capacity of less than 7,000.

Tourism summit And despite a Government concession package, there is no immediate sign of a revitalised Castle Harbour taking shape. Nor is there any prospect of development at the former US Naval Annex.

But there are plenty of bright spots.

A new eco-style resort at Daniel's Head is heading for a summer opening with tented cottages on stilts bringing an innovative type of accommodation to the Island.

Grotto Bay, Palmetto and the former Palm Reef hotels are all undergoing renovations; Fairmont is set to spend millions of dollars on its two properties; and Elbow Beach has completed a massive revamp of its resort.

In addition, Pink Beach has nearly completed the second phase of an improvement project and Cambridge Beaches has a scheme in the pipeline.

Traditionally the competitor to the hotel, the Island will have its first weekend cruise ship this year, bringing a boost to Dockyard. And it will feature passengers who stay in Island hotels for a few days, as well as on the vessel itself.

There are also new flights on the horizon.

TWA will begin a twice-weekly service from St. Louis; Delta has already begun an extra daily flight out of Atlanta and there is additional capacity on other routes.

In addition, both TWA and US Airways are planning to run services out of La Guardia during the summer.

The Royal Gazette faxed questions about today's summit to Premier Jennifer Smith's office but received no reply.