A compendium of Government statistics has revealed more than a third of hotel rooms and guest houses lay empty in 2008.

The latest Environment Statistics Compendium says the 2008 tourism occupancy rate was only 59.1 percent. This is a drop of eight percent on the previous year.

Tourism arrivals fell by 17 percent to 550,021 visitors, and total expenditure dropped from $513 million to $402 million from 2007 to 2008.

Visitor expenditure includes hotel accommodation, meals and drinks, shopping, entertainment, transport and sightseeing.

Government recorded 18 percent fewer visitors from the US in 2008, and an overall decrease in air arrivals of 14 percent. Cruise ship passengers reduced in numbers by 19 percent.

The first Environment Statistics Compendium was released recently, providing a comprehensive overview of land use, population, energy, transportation, environmental health and the natural environment.

The latest figures, for 2008, will assist in guiding Government's Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan, particularly in 'Protecting and Enhancing Our Environment and Natural Resources'.

In the foreword to the new report, Chief Statistician Valerie Robinson-James says: "The thrust of this project is to ensure that environmental considerations are integrated within social and economic planning contexts."

The compendium includes data on the number of vehicles on our roads; fishing catch; electricity consumption; and the growth in fertilisers and pesticides.

It is broken down into nine sections: Agriculture and Land Use; Biodiversity; Coastal and Marine Resources; Energy, Minerals and Transport; Environmental Health; Natural and Environmental Disasters; Population and Households; Tourism; and Water.

The report reveals registered vehicles on our roads rose from 48,054 to 48,571 in 2008, however, less gasoline was imported. A total of 34 million litres was brought to Bermuda, a tenth less than the 37.3 million litres in 2007.

The population of Bermuda only officially grew by 200 people in 2008 to 64,209. This gives a population density of 1,181 people per square kilometre.

Electricity consumption also only increased marginally, from 644 million kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2007 to 645 million kWh last year.

Copies of the 2009 Environment Statistics Compendium are available from the Department of Statistics, 3rd floor, Cedar Park Centre Building, 48 Cedar Avenue, Hamilton, or can be downloaded from: www.statistics.gov.bm