Visitor arrival figures slumped again in April continuing the trend seen in the first quarter of the year, but industry experts blamed this on there being fewer beds available than last year.

Bermuda Alliance for Tourism predicted big increases for the summer as new beds come online following hurricane repairs.

And Tourism Minister Renee Webb said she continued to be upbeat that the Island would enjoy a great season this year.

Bermuda Hotel Association president Norman Mastalir said there was the equivalent of 24,180 fewer bed nights this April compared to last year because of rooms not available at the former Sonesta Beach, Elbow Beach and Fairmont Southampton hotels due to hurricane damage.

Despite this, there was a drop of just 472 visitors overall in April.

?The numbers are wonderful. For us to have 24,180 rooms not available and for us to have just these small decreases is tremendous,? said Mr. Mastalir yesterday.

Last week hoteliers reported being booked out for some months with many predicting the best season in years.

There were 34,578 visitors on April ? down 1.3 percent from 35,050 for the same month last year. And for the year to date, arrivals are down 3.5 percent at 70,519.

The number of air visitors was off 10.3 percent at 22,429 in April, while for the year to date, air passengers are down 8.3 percent at 57,495.

There was better news on the cruise side, with April arrivals up 23.5 percent at 11,791, and for the year to date cruise passengers are ahead 29.5 percent at 12,534.

Ms Webb said she drew continuing comfort from the fact visitors were spending more time on the Island.

The average stay for the year to date is 5.5 nights compared to 5.2 nights last year.

?Last week, as reported in the recent first quarter statistics, overall bed night stays were up, and I was pleased to see some moderate gains in this area,? said Ms Webb yesterday.

?The fact that visitors are extending their vacation longer in Bermuda bodes very well for the industry, as first quarter statistics indicated visitors contributed between $28.4 million and $41.6 million to the Island?s economy. Even though our numbers were slightly off of the pace in air arrivals in April, I am still very optimistic in seeing an improvement over the next few months.

?The competition has been stepped up with airfares, resulting in lower prices, and there are clear indications that visitors are telling others about their positive experiences in Bermuda. For us, this is the best kind of marketing result that we could hope for. On the whole, I anticipate that the upcoming months will see growth, particularly with the new Coco Reef and the Southampton Beach properties adding accommodations.

?In addition, we anticipate that the Newport to Bermuda Yacht Race, which takes place later this month will draw an influx of visitors to the Island.?

Wayne Smith, the executive director of the public-private sector Bermuda Alliance for Tourism, said Coco Reef and the new Wyndham Southampton Beach Resort were closed in April and the Island?s biggest hotel, the Fairmont Southampton, was only open for half the month.

?The figures are a little misleading in the sense that they represent the diminished room inventory,? said Mr. Smith yesterday. ?There were fewer rooms available than last year due largely to Hurricane Fabian. What we will hopefully see in May, June and July is an increase and the fact that April is down 1.3 percent speaks to lack of room availability. The three percent for the year to date is the same ball game.?