Overall air visitors to Bermuda during the first three months of 2006 fell by 1.4 percent year-on-year to 39,527 with most of the decline coming from air visitors with the number of US and Canadian arrivals falling by 3.1 percent and 0.5 percent respectively.

On the plus side there was a 6.7 percent increase in UK visitors by air, a 13.2 percent increase in Europeans and a 3.3 percent increase in visitors from other parts of the world. Total air arrivals for the first quarter of the year were 38,896 compared to 39,415 in the same period last year.

The reasons why people visited Bermuda during the opening months of the year has changed with more business and conference trips this year, accounting for a third of all visits, and a corresponding reduction in leisure and family and friends visiting.

Resort hotels have picked up more trade, increasing by 8.1 percent, as have private clubs and inns with increases of 6.6 percent and 3.8 percent.

But there has been a drop of 17.2 percent and 20.3 percent in the number of bed night accommodation sold by small hotels and cottage colonies. The average length of stay for visitors remains constant at 6.8 days, and the age groups of 35-54 year-old and the over 65s represent the two largest segments of the visitor profile.

Seclusion and relaxation is the number one reason visitors pick Bermuda, according to results of a sample survey of guests carried out on behalf of the Department of Tourism.

However, only 60 percent of guests surveyed said they were completely satisfied with the level of service they had received, this compares with 88 percent for the same three months in 2005.

The average amount of money spent by a leisure visitor has decreased from $992 last year to $974, and for business visitors there has been a bigger drop in spending from $1,168 to $966.

However, visitors are spending on average $25 extra on meals and drinks at restaurants during their stay on the Island.

European visitors remain the biggest average spenders putting $1,073 into the economy per visit, followed by Americans on $990 and Canadians on $835.

The survey of visitors found that only four percent felt the value of their visit was below expectations, while 35 percent said it was above.

Some 77 percent said they intend to return, up three percent on last year, and 46 percent said they recalled seeing advertising about Bermuda, an increase of six percent.

Complete satisfaction with the quality of transport remains high at 75 percent with taxis still the most common means for visitors to get around, although this has dropped five points to 78 percent.

The number of yacht visitors has increased from 184 to 205, an 11 percent jump on the opening quarter of 2005.