It appears Bermuda is outpacing rivals when it comes to drumming up new tourism business.

Though in-depth tourism numbers will not be revealed until tomorrow Government released statistics which show that Bermuda has seen air arrivals increase by 24.8 percent in January, 12.6 percent in February and 17.9 percent in March.

Meanwhile else where in the Caribbean some of Bermuda’s competitors are showing a decline in air arrivals and another only marginal growth.

Only the Cayman Islands have shown similar growth during the period with air arrivals increasing by an average 13.7 percent over the three month period. Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, who is in the Cayman Islands attending a meeting of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council, said: “We’ve obviously proud of the recent growth we’ve seen in our air and cruise arrivals.

“But now the hotel workers and taxi drivers and all the people who make our tourism product what it is have even more reason to hold their heads high because this undeniable surge in visitor numbers is coming at a time when our colleagues in the Caribbean are struggling. Bermuda’s tourism is doing what very few others have been able to accomplish. This is no accident; this is the result of hard work.”

One of the reasons other Islands have seen a decline in visitors is new passport travel requirements for Americans re-entering the United States, according to Bermuda Hotels Association Chief Executive Officer John Harvey. Bermuda is exempt from these new rules.

Mr. Harvey recently returned from a meeting of the Caribbean Hotel Association in Florida and said many in the industry were bemoaning a drop in hotel occupancy as well as air arrivals.

He said: “Bermuda has been fortunate to have over the last several years a respected and enviable reputation as a first class tourist resort destination which has seen our repeat business as high as 60 per cent.

“With the successful introduction of lower competitive airfares, the investment in hotel renovation and refurbishments and excellent food and beverage offerings, a renewed demand commenced in 2006 shortly after the Bermuda team presented our new marketing strategies to our tourism travel business partners in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia and that momentum combined with group business has kept us pretty busy, for which we are thankful.”

But Dr. Brown, who is also Minister of Tourism, said the increasing air arrivals coupled with many hotels being at capacity this month indicated that hotel development was necessary.

He said: “This current good news is only temporary unless we capitalise on this upsurge and lay the foundation for our tourism product to grow.”

Since 2006 four special development orders have been granted for hotel developments such as the Ritz Carlton, in Hamilton,

Wyndham Resort, Southampton and The Grand Atlantic Resort and Residences in Warwick. And plans were unveiled on Wednesday for a new mixed use resort on the former Lantana site in Southampton.