Budget strategists for a tourist season that some hoteliers claim is turning soft.

Insufficient funds for advertising campaigns in Europe and the United States combined with departure and hotel taxes hikes were all to blame, he said.

In light of recent figures showing that last month's hotel occupancy levels declined by 0.7 from last year, Mr. Allen accused Government of "nearsightedness'' and of "a process of denial''.

Instead, claimed Mr. Allen, Government should drop its "business as usual approach'' and take a more pro-active stance by setting aside contingency funds for massive advertising "blitzes'' in anticipation of summer dips.

This year, only an additional $64,000 was allocated for promotional activities in Europe -- a mere "drop in the bucket''.

"One can't expect to get results without spending money,'' he said.

And not all destinations, claimed Mr. Allen, were suffering a similar fate in spite of a claim by Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge that Caribbean destinations had also seen recent declines in visitor numbers.

Some islands, such as the Cayman Islands were doing consistently well, Mr.

Allen contended. And US domestic destinations including California were "awash'' with visitors.

"It is a patchwork quilt of concerns and nearsightedness, of not looking ahead and anticipating problems,'' he said.

And blaming the Oklahoma bombing, he said, was "grasping at straws''.

"He (the Tourism Minister) has blamed successively the Gulf War, the US elections and now Oklahoma,'' he said. "But that hasn't stopped people from traveling to other places.'' However, Mr. Allen praised Mr. Woolridge's proposal to promote Bermuda more strongly as a family destination.

The onus, he said, was also on hotels to attract families with more imaginative in-house programmes. Nanny services, childrens' activities and dining areas for children were already commonplace in many North American hotels, he said.