Figures released by the Government have revealed rises in tourism and cash spent by visitors along with the most popular fishing catch in recent years.

The thirteenth Environmental Statistics Compendium disclosed strikingly different figures for the past decade compared to previous years, but the report insists the numbers, up to 2024, have to be considered with the impact of Covid-19.

The Department of Statistics has compiled extensive data, with Melinda Williams, its director, stating that the pandemic led to restrictions such as curfews, limited group sizes, reduced business hours and temporary business closures, cancellations and changes in behaviour.

A spokesman said the document, released by the Ministry of Economy and Labour, offers “an excellent tool for research, school projects and promoting awareness about issues affecting Bermuda’s environment”.

He said highlights for 2023-24 included hotels remaining the most popular accommodation type, used by more than two thirds of all air passengers.

The spokesman added: “Total electricity consumption in 2024 fell to approximately 517.4 million kilowatt hours from 518 million kWh in 2023.

“The residential sector accounted for just under half, 47.5 per cent, of all electricity consumed in Bermuda in 2024.

“Tuna and pelagic group remained the most popular catch at 134.4 metric tonnes and shellfish were the only species group to record a decrease in landings, declining 25.5 per cent from 2023 to 2024.

“And in 2024 the amount of waste totalled 101,900 metric tonnes, representing an increase of 18.1 per cent from the 86,300 metric tonnes of waste in 2023.

“In 2024, the total number of inches of rainfall in Bermuda was 68.5. This represents an 11.4 per cent decrease from 2023.”

Figures compiled for population showed a peak of 64,055 in 2021 before declining to 63,905 in 2024.

Tourism figures showed some of the most significant changes.

Between 2020 and 2024 the sector recorded an increase in visitor arrivals — air and sea — following what the report described as “a sharp decline in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The numbers showed 51,437 visiting in 2020 compared with 738,436 in 2024.

The sharpest increase occurred between 2021 and 2022 when the total number of visitors rocketed from 86,356 to 548,522 — an increase of 532 per cent as international air travel resumed and cruise ships returned.

The reliance on tourism for the island was underlined with visitor spending figures showing an increase of 5.4 per cent between 2023 and 2024 from $503.5 million to $530.5 million.

Elsewhere, the compendium also disclosed a variety of statistics ranging from hurricane disaster numbers to emergency call-outs for the fire service.

The hurricane figures for recent years included the two as well as a tropical storm from 2023, with no casualties but varying outages.

Hurricane Franklin on August 30 knocked out power to 300 homes. On September 4, Tropical Storm Idalia left 3,000 homes with outages and Hurricane Lee ten days later put 12,000 homes in the dark.

The following year, Hurricane Ernesto, left 29,000 homes with power outages.

Firefighters were called to incidents that ranged from minor to structure and vehicle fires, brush and trash fires, gas cylinder leaks, floods, oil spills and aircraft standby incidents.

The total number of call-outs for 2020 was 3,899, compared with 4,196 in 2024.