US travel writer.

Only a few countries, including Hong Kong, hits their visitors with a similar departure fee. Meanwhile, a number of other countries let travellers leave for nothing, says Mr. Henry Joslen.

The author of numerous articles on Bermuda hailing the Island as the number one travel destination in the world, Mr. Joslen now claims Bermuda has priced itself out of the US travel market by increasing taxes on visitors.

Travel editor of a Connecticut daily newspaper and long time visitor to the Island, Mr. Joslen has slammed the tax as "exorbitant''.

And he warned the increases had not gone unnoticed in the US.

Instead they had been widely publicised throughout North America in newspapers articles that billed Bermuda an expensive destination.

Last month leading national newspaper USA Today wrote: "Bermuda is becoming more popular. And more expensive.'' The news, according to Mr. Joslen, has made a definite impact on holidaymakers.

Vacationers who had planned to come to Bermuda were now going elsewhere, he said.

He added he personally knew of a number of people who cancelled plans to vacation here when they got wind of the increased tax.

One couple went to Disneyland. Another opted for Puerto Rico.

Mr. Joslen, who has visited Bermuda 30 times in 35 years, claims to love the Island but says the extra tax has put people off.

"It is going to make a difference with a lot of people deciding where to go.

It has been widely publicised here in the States,'' he warned.

"Bermuda was never a cheap place to visit. But now it is just getting out of sight for a number of people. I am sorry to see this happen. I think it is going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.'' And he was sorry, he said, that people who were "sitting on the fence'' over Bermuda, might steer clear because of the expense and miss out on an opportunity to visit.

After a simultaneous increase in hotel tax, the increased departure tax was "the nail in the coffin''.

"The hotel tax rise from 6 percent to 7.25 percent is bad enough, but the simultaneous increase in your departure tax from $15 to $20 is really exhorbitant,'' he said.

"I am very much concerned that your Government may destroy all of the best efforts of Bermuda's many friends, myself included, (to promote Bermuda) here in the States.'' He added the negative long term consequences of taxing tourists outweighed the short term boost to Government coffers.

Instead the increased taxes were "self-defeating'' if significant numbers of visitors opted to vacation elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Bermuda should do more to make visitors feel welcome.

"Bermuda doesn't really cater to tourists the way other Island do,'' he said.

Daily gombey dancing, extended store hours, real bargains, more European goods for North Americans were some things that could make the Island more "visitor friendly'', he said.

Hotel occupancy figures for March released yesterday showed a slight decline from last year, as a shaky start to the visitor season continued.

March occupancy was 59.6 percent, down slightly from 61.5 percent in March of 1994, said Bermuda Hotel Association president Mr. Stephen Barker. Mr. Barker noted the March figure was still much better than the 46 percent occupancy recorded in March, 1993.

Also in March, the average length of stay dipped to 4.6 days from 4.8 days a year earlier.

Projected occupancies for April, May, and June were 65.5 percent, 66.1 percent, and 58.9 percent respectively. That compares to projected occupancies for the same three months of 66.5 percent, 65.3 percent, and 60.1 percent, made at the same time in 1994.