Air arrivals for last month were up 9.5 percent over October, 1996.

And hotels and cottage colonies recorded their best October occupancy finished in two years.

The news came yesterday from Bermuda Hotel Association president Dennis Tucker and Tourism Minister David Dodwell.

Mr. Dodwell told The Royal Gazette : "Air arrival figures for the month of October were up 9.5 percent over the previous year. Arrivals from both the US and Canada were up.'' Meanwhile Mr. Tucker reported: "Hotel and cottage colonies combined achieved a final occupancy of 70.4 percent for the month of October which is 3.8 points ahead of the level attained in October, 1996, and 2.4 points ahead of 1995.'' The BHA also reported on projections for November, December and January based on bookings as of October 1.

This month stands at 52.1 percent, up 4.3 percent from the final occupancy figures for November, 1996. December and January showed projected occupancies of 20.3 and 17.7 percent respectively.

Both are below occupancy percentages reached a year before but December's figure is 2.3 points above projections on October 1, 1996 for last December.

Mr. Dodwell said: "This is the trend we have seen since July. Every single month has been ahead since then.'' He was not willing to put the success down to any one reason.

"I do not think this has anything to do with the US economy. I would like to think that some of the things we have been doing have taken root.'' In other tourism news yesterday, Bermuda was ranked eighth in the list of the travel agents' top ten honeymoon destinations according to the November 3 issue of Travel Weekly.

At number one on the list was Hawaii followed by Jamaica, Mexico, Florida, Aruba, Tahiti and the Cayman Islands. Rounding out the top ten were Greece and the U.S. Virgin Islands.