that summer occupancies were better than expected.

And Bermuda Hotel Association president Mr. David Dodwell is "hopeful'' next year will be even better.

But he cautioned "change'' was the catchword of the 1990s and anything could happen.

"The Tourism industry has changed dramatically, stemming from recession and competitiveness,'' Mr. Dodwell said. "Travelers are looking more at price and value and shopping more for their vacations.'' Latest BHA figures showed the average final occupancy of member hotels in August was 75.4 percent, compared to 71.6 percent in 1992.

Occupancy projections for September and October, at 67.9 percent and 55.3 percent, have improved compared to 1992 and 1991.

But November projections, at 34.5 percent, were behind both the previous two years.

Mr. Dodwell said the short lead time of bookings and increased promotion of the November to March season would change that.

"This summer was better than last, no question about that,'' he said. "But it was not as good as 1991 and our best year was 1987.'' The good results were largely because people in the industry had "rolled their sleeves up and said `we've got to get out there and get the business','' he said.

He believed the rise in occupancies were due to a combination of things: the Tourism Ministry's aggressive advertising campaign and work of its sales team, reductions in airfares, hotels creatively marketing themselves and improvements in the economies of traditional markets.