1994 -- sending a shiver through Bermuda's hoteliers.

A survey showed just 43 percent of businesses planned to stage meetings abroad.

This is an eight percent drop -- and the top three venues are Mexico, Great Britain and Canada.

The findings are a blow to Bermuda's hotel chiefs who were planning to further tap the convention market.

Last week it emerged five of the Island's biggest hotels were bidding to boost business between November and March.

It would involve sending out information about the hotels to encourage organisations to hold meetings here.

One hotel in the "direct mailing'' scheme is Elbow Beach, part of the Wyndham chain.

Yesterday Mr. Michael Fegley, new vice-president of Wyndham's sales, resort division, was undismayed by the meetings survey.

He saw the findings as a challenge.

"It shows we have got to work harder and be very aggressive in our marketing,'' he said.

Mr. Fegley, who has over 17 years experience in the hotel industry, said Elbow Beach had put together a very attractive winter package.

It was promoted under the heading "Escape from the Stress, Humdrum and Outrageous Costs of Conventional "Downtown'' Hotels''.

And the flier continued: "Escape to Fabulous Elbow Beach Bermuda.'' The 1994 Meetings Outlook Survey was carried out by Meeting Planners International and the American Society of Association Executives.

Some 100 "corporate, association and independent'' meeting planners were surveyed.

The results were published in a recent edition of the American magazine, Travel Agent.

"Reflecting the uncertain economy, more meetings will be held closer to home next year. Forty-eight of respondents say they are planning more local or regional meetings and fewer national meetings.

"Only 14 percent say they will hold more national meetings.'' The article continued: "And fewer meeting planners say they will hold meetings outside the United States next year.

"Forty-three percent of organisations say they will hold meetings outside the United States (down from 51 percent).

"Mexico, the United Kingdom and Canada are the top three choices for meetings locations outside the US.'' The survey also revealed 85 percent of organisers planned to hold the same amount of meetings next year.

But they expected a tough fight in keeping attendances up.

Mr. Fegley said he remained hopeful and upbeat, despite the statistics.

He said: "When you see figures like this from a survey carried out by two very reputable organisations you say: `Oh my God, we have really got our work cut out for us'.'' But he added: "We don't read these statistics and plan for failure. We think how can we make our offer more attractive to get more people to stay at our hotels versus the competition.

"It is a challenge to get people to stay at our hotels rather than other competition on the Island.

"But we have to be more aggressive in our marketing of group business.''