Tourism arrivals continue to plummet with a 22.9 percent drop in May.

The new figures, revealed in Parliamentary Questions, follow disappointing first quarter figures with a 2.3 percent rise in February but year-on-year declines of 13.2 percent in January and 11.4 percent in March.

The breakdown shows 68,048 visitors came in May compared to 88,327 in the same month in 2007.

However the April figure showed a rise of 26.7 percent in overall arrivals which went from 47,509 last year to 60,225 this year.

The latest figures also show a ten percent fall in hotel occupancy in May and a four percent drop in April, compared to the same months last year.

Opposition leader Kim Swan has called on Government to take drastic action to save the tourism season by using a "full-court press" to boost arrival numbers.

Speaking after last week's announcement by the Department of Tourism to replace Bermudians in the New York office with Americans, Mr. Swan said the announcement revealed "a brutal, anti-Bermudian quality to government decision-making".

Up to 20 Bermudians — some of whom have given 30 years' service to the Department of Tourism — are being made redundant with five weeks' notice after Cabinet agreed to outsource sales to US firm Sales Focus.

Mr. Swan said: "This is not the time to reorganise.

"This is not the time to tell key sales people that their services are no longer needed – just the opposite. This is the time for an all-out, full-court press to boost visitor arrival numbers — which our existing sales force is in place to accomplish."

He said the United Bermuda Party is concerned the announcement will make it difficult to save the declining tourism season because of the department's "blatant disrespect" for the sales people and the disruption it has caused to their lives.

Mr. Swan, who is also Shadow Tourism Minister, said the UBP will support a spending plan to boost hotel arrivals from traditional markets that have served Bermuda in the past and markets that have positive exchange rates against the US dollar.

He also said Bermuda's main visitors have proven to be recession-proof but his party believes with today's prevailing conditions, these visitors will only respond through additional marketing.

"We issue this statement because of our concern that instead of boosting spending, the Premier is moving his department in the other direction.

"We have noted his recent boast that Tourism was leading the way in Government spending discipline by cutting its budget this year by $4 million.

"Last week's announcement was justified in terms of dollar savings. While this may be admirable in good times, Bermuda's industry this year needs more support from the Government not less.

"We do not sense any official urgency about the current situation."

Mr. Swan said the UBP believes Premier Ewart Brown has given the Island a false sense of security about the state of tourism by only giving optimistic information in his statements. He added the continual reference of cruise ship visitors is to portray blockbuster industry results, an example of unhelpful spin.

"A stronger, more focused effort on air arrivals is what is needed. Tourism's high-profile spending projects — the Bermuda Music Festival and the PGA golf tournament — while exciting for local residents are not putting 'heads into beds' in numbers that warrant the spending."

Mr. Swan added the Government needs to create a "rescue plan" for the tourism season as it is not too late for positive action.

The Opposition also probed Premier and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown on why there had been a delay in releasing monthly arrival statistics.

The Premier said monthly figures are released to stakeholders on a monthly basis but released to the media on a quarterly basis, as had been the case for the last three years.

He added that the delay in the release of the first quarter figures for 2008 was directly related to a change in format of the quarterly media luncheon.

He added: "This format change is related to cost cutting measures within the Department of Tourism. It is not anticipated that there will be any future delays."

Last week Department of Tourism officials blamed falling numbers on the harsher international economic climate.

The Department has previously attributed the US credit crunch and soaring oil prices as reasons for the decline in people flying in for vacation.