Some hotels in Bermuda were fully booked last week as latest Government figures show a rise in the number of visitors coming to the Island.

According to the figures released yesterday, over the past weekend, including the May 24 holiday, “multiple hotels” were filled to capacity.

So far the overall occupancy rate for May, across Bermuda’s hotels, is 80.9 percent - up 4.7 percent over the occupancy rate for the same time last month.

Bookings for June reveal advance reservations at 90 percent. The Royal Palms Hotel, The Reefs and Pompano Beach Club do not have a single room at the start of June, while Elbow Beach Hotel and Greenbank Guest House are almost full.

Reservations for July also indicate growth, with bookings up on last year by more than six percent. Bermuda Hotels Association President John Harvey described the hotel figures as “very encouraging”.

He said reinvestment in hotel plants, improved guest services, and new competitive airfares to Bermuda were now “bearing fruit”. “This last weekend saw hotels near full and some at full capacity which indicates that Bermuda as a holiday destination is currently in demand and this trend confirms the need for more room inventory as our present forecasts show projected increases for the months ahead,” said Mr. Harvey.

Government plans to inject further growth into the industry through hotel development, the new cruise ship facility at Dockyard, more high speed ferries and additional air carriers.

But Mr. Harvey said hoteliers would also like to see more ‘low season’ events to encourage visitors between November and March. He said: “We have had a concentration of group business in the winter months in recent years. When people come here they don’t necessarily expect beach weather but they enjoy other things such as golf tournaments.

“We need to develop more special events during this time, such as a food and drink festival, and there could also be shows - that’s the window of opportunity we have.”

Premier Ewart Brown, who is also Tourism Minister, said: “I think these latest numbers are great, they show continuing and gaining strength in our tourism product. I know that hotel operators are happy to have full hotels to fuel their businesses which are now thriving year round.”

Dr. Brown added: “Air arrivals are up, airfares are down. Our cruise terminals are full in the east end, the west end, and here in Hamilton. And as Mr. Harvey rightly points out, our hotels are reaching their capacities. Clearly the state of our tourism product is robust. Now we must execute a plan to facilitate its growth.”

Figures show visitor levels have risen by almost a quarter to reach pre-9/11 levels. Government statistics reported 635,272 air and cruise passengers visited the Island last year — an increase of 22.9 percent on 2005.