AIR arrivals in 2004 were up by more than 15,000 on the previous year, according to figures released by the Department of Statistics yesterday.

The figures illustrate the recovery of the island's tourism industry following the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Fabian in September 2003.

There were 33 per cent more visitors from the US in the last quarter of 2004, as well as 19 per cent more from Canada, 9.5 per cent more from the UK and 38 per cent more from all other destinations.

But the total of 271,617 air visitors in 2004 was still around 12,000 short of the comparable figure in 2002 and 3,500 below 2001.

Fabian forced the closure of two major hotels and a huge reduction in the island's bed capacity in the fourth quarter of 2003. Last year's increase in available beds led to resort hotels catering to 11,000 more visitors (an increase of 74 per cent) in the last quarter of 2004 than the corresponding period the year before.

The Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics also showed that the increase in air arrivals led to a 3.1 per cent increase in total air visitor expenditure to more than $300 million.

And there was a notable shift in what they spent their money on. While spending on accommodation and food dipped by 13 per cent, spending on shopping, entertainment and transportation went up by 19 per cent.

Meanwhile Bermuda residents travelled more in 2004, taking 156,200 trips, a rise of 14,104 trips on 2003.

And the overseas spending declared by those travellers rocketed to $53.2 million ? a rise of 26 per cent on the previous year.

While spending on household items and appliances dropped, travellers spent much more on electronic and photographic equipment, jewellery, watches and compact discs.