tourism industry, Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen said yesterday.

Meanwhile his counterpart, Tourism Minister David Dodwell, shot down the claims and called upon Mr. Allen to speak to tourism partners in the community who were reporting strong seasons.

Mr. Allen spoke after recently released US air visitor arrival statistics for August showed a drop of 6.53 percent from the August, 1996, figures.

"The just-released Bermuda visitor arrival statistics for August vividly illustrate that the long-term erosion in Bermuda's vital tourism industry continues unabated, and that the Progressive Labour Party's fresh approach to that industry is sorely needed and long overdue.'' Mr. Allen noted that August was once one of Bermuda's strongest peak season months and the fact that there was a 6.53 percent drop from August, 1997, "is sobering indeed''.

He added that the year-to-date decline of 4.24 percent in total air arrivals should also cause deep concern and pointed out that the information flew in the face of Tourism Minister David Dodwell's assertions that the decline in the tourism industry had bottomed out.

And he underlined the fact that the past 18 years had seen Bermuda lose approximately one in five of its air arriving, hotel staying visitors.

Meanwhile other countries in direct competition to Bermuda were showing improvements.

Mr. Allen said: "Last year Bermuda air arrivals declined by 2.7 percent while competing destinations were up -- Barbados up by 5.4 percent; St. Lucia by 5.4 percent; Cayman Islands by 2.1 percent; Jamaica by 2.5 percent; Antigua by 4.5 percent; Turks & Caicos by 6.4 percent; and Anguilla by 15.1 percent.'' He laid the blame for the decline at the feet of United Bermuda Party measures designed to boost tourism.

"The statistics show that not only has the UBP's inappropriate $32 million Let Yourself Go sex and sin marketing campaign failed, but so has the Radio Bermuda campaign launched early this year, which the PLP predicted would do little to turn the industry around.'' Mr. Allen added that the PLP felt marketing Bermuda as a country club between November and March would also fall short of the mark.

However Mr. Dodwell noted: "I don't believe Mr. Allen truly understands the industry. "He can say as much as he likes, as often as he likes and the facts are the same -- arrivals are not a measure of tourism success but room nights, hotel occupancies, are.'' He pointed out that many hotels were reporting their best seasons in years.

"If Mr. Allen doesn't believe me,'' said Mr. Dodwell, "he can call the hotels and ask them these questions. Do they support the five year plan? Are they having a good year? Do they support the Radio Bermuda ads? And do they support the November to March theme for the coming year? "They have all told me they do but I challenge Mr. Allen to call them and ask those questions.'' Meanwhile Mr. Allen said a PLP government would take the following policy initiatives: Put the Bermuda back in Bermuda tourism product and promotion, accentuating the uniqueness of Bermuda as a destination; Give a distinctive Bermuda flavour to the overseas marketing campaign; Encourage Bermudian entertainment in hotels and nightclubs; Help develop new markets such as educational tourism, cultural tourism, ecological tourism and soft adventure spots; Offer a range of tax incentives and concessions geared to the current seasonal nature of our visitor industry, and assist hotels in their competitiveness; Make further adjustments in custom duties on visitor orientated merchandise to help re-establish Bermuda as a major shopping destination; Encourage hotels and smaller properties to offer expanded family-orientated facilities and activities; Increase the marketing effort to diverse ethnic markets; Work toward instituting direct non-stop or one-stop, same-aircraft service from areas where this does not currently exist; and Seek to establish a sixth weekly cruise ship to call on weekends only.

"Using existing resources,'' continued Mr. Allen, "A PLP Government will make a better allocation of these resources to Bermuda's overall marketing effort, and will ensure that this effort is more efficiently monitored and managed.'' In closing Mr. Dodwell noted that Mr. Allen was not saying anything new and simply continued to criticise the industry.

"Criticism is not a vision. We continue to hear Mr. Allen taking the serious issue of tourism and using it as a political football and by doing so, I believe, he puts Bermudians and their jobs in this industry at risk.''