Bermuda is aiming to attract seven percent more visitors than last year, Tourism Minister Renee Webb revealed yesterday, comparing that target with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation prediction of four to five percent increase there.

And she said low-cost airlines flying to Bermuda does not mean the Island is going after budget tourists, saying the arrival of JetBlue and USA3000 should mean air fares in general will fall.

Although Bermuda is going after wealthy visitors, all tourists these days want a bargain air fare even if they are wealthy she said.

?I believe we in Bermuda will surpass this and we are looking to increase by seven percent. That may be ambitious, but that is the target we have set,? she told MPs during the Budget debate.

Hotels have seen significant improvements following damage caused by Hurricane Fabian and many are reporting ?robust bookings?. Because of this, 2004 should be up on last, when there were just over 487,000, down 0.5 percent on 2003, she said.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell agreed this year should be better than last and may even be up as much as 20 percent.

He said the strong pound, Euro and Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar made Bermuda very competitive.

And because the Island was starting from a low base of hotel beds.

?If we do not have a good year this year, something is terribly, terribly wrong,? said Mr. Dodwell. ?We could even have a 20 percent increase.?

Ms Webb said the number of hotel beds was set to rise from around 2000 in 54 hotels in the wake of Fabian to 3396 next year.

This took into account the re-opening of the Fairmount Southampton and Sonesta Beach hotels this year, and the hoped for opening of the Lantana Spa resort.

It would also include the opening of the new hotel by the Renaissance consortium on the site of the closed Club Med property in St. George?s. A deal had not yet been signed ? although the group had an exclusivity agreement ? and Government was keeping its fingers crossed the deal would come off.

Ms Webb also outlined other hotels which are expanding: Grotto Bay is adding 62 new units, Pink Beach 16, and Royal Palms seven. Coco Reef Resort, the former Stonington Beach Hotel was expanding, and Loughlands Guest House could also see more units if a hotel is built on that site.

?This shows the level of confidence of the hotel owners. The fact that we have all this investment taking place shows there is confidence the Bermuda Government, the people and in tourism,? said Ms Webb.

She said this proved new rooms would be available for the extra visitors expected on the additional flights Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown has attracted to the Island this summer.

Ms Webb said the Island will have enough hotel beds for the extra visitors which are expected to arrive on the host of new flights coming to Bermuda this summer. ?We still have smaller properties that have a product as well and even though we are targeting affluent travellers, we still have smaller properties that are less expensive,? she said.

?Everyone is looking for a travel bargain these days, even they have a lot of money.?

In yesterday?s budget debate, she said the number of hotel beds went down to less than 2000 as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Fabian and the number of hotels was down to 54.

But the number of rooms should be up to 3396 by the end of 2005, said Ms Webb, citing the re-opening of the Fairmont Southampton and Sonesta Beach hotels as well as expansions and other hoped-for new hotels at Lantana, and the former Club Med site in St. George?s. USA3000 is flying a weekly service from Baltimore/Washington and JetBlue has announced it is applying to fly to the Island next year, probably from New York.