New tourism figures show Bermuda is attracting a higher percentage of affluent travellers according to exit surveys.

In surveys conducted between September 1 and October 31, 2007, 49 per cent of respondents had a household income above $150,000 per year creating an increase of 17 percent from the same time in 2006. There were 441 total respondents.

However, the number break down does not indicate whether the people who took part in the surveys were tourists or business travellers, just 'respondents'.

Surveys conducted between June 1 and August 31, 2007 showed 51 per cent of respondents also had household incomes above $150,000 per year. There were 532 total survey respondents.

Minister of Tourism and Premier Ewart Brown said in a release: "This is very good news for all sectors of our tourism industry. Affluent travellers typically have more to spend when they get to the island so this benefits a lot of Bermudians."

"I'm also pleased that we have not only attracted the affluent traveller, but we've been able to consistently attract the affluent traveller. This is the second consecutive exit survey period that has shown considerable growth in this area. It means that our marketing strategy is producing the kind of results we are looking for."

He also said statistics show travellers are choosing Bermuda more often and added it is a strong endorsement of the Island's tourism product and policy. Ninety per cent of surveyed visitors said they would "definitely" recommend Bermuda as a tourist destination, a six per cent increase from 2006.