Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley claimed taxpayers dollars are the reason for an increase of airlines from the US, not Premier Ewart Brown's "charm".

Sen. Dunkley spoke in the Senate last week on answers to Parliamentary questions he received from Junior Tourism Minister Marc Bean.

He said: "Taxpayer cash not the Premier's charm appears to be the secret behind Bermuda's ability to secure more flights from North American cities, Government answers to Parliamentary Questions reveal.

"Bermuda Government guarantees in recent years have seen the spending of approximately $2 million taxpayer dollars to keep airlines flying to the Island. It is quite possible that the dollar figure is even higher given that some of the Minimum Revenue Guarantee Agreements (MRG) may not have been paid out prior to the answering of our questions.

"We are also interested to learn that WestJet Airlines is operating with an MRG, which has not yet been approved by the Cabinet. It appears that Minister has prematurely committed Bermuda to the terms of an agreement not yet sanctioned by his Government, shades of the Uighurs.

Mr. Dunkley continued: "On one level, we are not opposed to the use of taxpayer dollars to secure needed overseas flights but feel compelled to make the point that a lot of this money did not need to be spent if the Tourism Minister had maintained a strong marketing focus on our long-standing US tourism markets.

He said the 2008 Yankelovich study said that just 10 percent of the Island's potential visitors were aware of Bermuda as a vacation destination.

"The fall-off in awareness of Bermuda as a vacation destination made it necessary at this time for the Bermuda Government to guarantee airlines minimum revenues. So tax dollars spent to ensure airlines fly to Bermuda is a consequence of the government's failure to maintain Bermuda's profile in markets that had sent the lion's share of visitors to our shores year after year, generation after generation."

Meanwhile Sen. Bean said: "Sen. Dunkley's most recent statement demonstrates a rare combination of ignorance and arrogance.

"For the record, Sen. Dunkley must be the only politician in Bermuda who didn't know that the Government uses financial incentives to attract new airlines to Bermuda. He should also know that every MRG is approved by Cabinet.

"At the last Senate meeting, Sen. Dunkley acknowledged the value of the hard work manifested by the Premier and his Ministry's team in securing affordable airlift to the island. Even in giving credit where it is justly due, Sen. Dunkley exhibits a lack of knowledge on the standard operating process by which such airlift is secured.

He continued: "A MRG is an integral part of our strategy to provide incentives in this regard. Sen. Dunkley must understand that good faith is the centrepiece in executing an agreement for mutually beneficial purposes. It is for this reason that Westjet has began the marketing and selling of seats, while the standard process of Cabinet approval of the MRG is conducted.

"I'm am sure that the travelling public will appreciate an affordable option to Canada. What would be useful for Bermuda's tourism industry is if Sen Dunkley, as the Shadow Minister, commits himself to being an active participant in the Industry's rebound, rather then speaking as a spectator.

"Sen. Dunkley is right about one thing. It is not only the Premier's charm that has brought great airlift to Bermuda but the combination of intelligence, hard work and diplomacy."