Tourism officials are hoping their efforts to re-establish the industry will result in visitor numbers approaching past highs.

Minister David Allen is aiming to lure up to 120,000 extra air visitors to the Island as he attempts to restore the good times when 500,000 people flew in for vacations.

But he has stressed that the process will take several years and may only start to bear fruit when new hotel beds are available in a number of planned projects.

"We have never been under the illusion that it would happen overnight,'' Mr.

Allen said. "But we can really turn it around with the confidence of this Government.'' Air arrivals for 1998 were just less than 370,000 -- the lowest since 1972's trough of 338,000. And the highest was in 1980, when 495,000 visitors came to the Island.

The Minister also revealed that the deal for charter flights from Chicago and Philadelphia was due to be signed next week.

Contracts on the agreement, which ties in with the new weekend cruise ship at Dockyard, are ready.

The flights will bring passengers from both areas, who will then link up with the Crown Cruise Lines Crown Dynasty or people will sail to Bermuda, before staying in a hotel and finally flying home.

Mr. Allen has predicted a long and slow road to tourism recovery as the Progressive Labour Party bids to redress the balance of 111,000 visitors -- or one in five tourists -- lost in the last 18 years.

And he said he believed that 2001 will be a key year as several of the new hotel and resort plans start to come on stream -- adding hundreds of extra vacation beds.

The Marriott Castle development, Club Med site, Daniel's Head eco-resort, Palmetto Gardens and the DeVille Hotels $60 million complex on the Par-La-Ville car park are all planned to go ahead.

And Mr. Allen said he was still confident that the planned Belmont hotel development would still become a reality.

He said recent difficulties at Elbow Beach -- with respect to general manager Bill Shoaf's work permit problems and subsequent resignation, and the impending closure of the Marriott Castle resort -- had not frightened the Canadian investors off.

"We had discussions last week,'' said the Minister. "This group have their own business plan. Some financial details have to be sorted out and it is hoped that the present building will be demolished this summer.

"There is no reason for anyone to be put off.''