Premier Ewart Brown released the tourism figures for the second quarter yesterday.

In total Bermuda welcomed 252,734 visitors to the Island between April and June, a 24.4 percent increase compared to 2009.

The number of air, cruise and yacht arrivals were up across the board and hotels recorded a higher occupancy; however this year's air arrivals were an improvement on last year's, which were the worst on record in the last three decades.

Air Arrivals

lA total of 77,512 people flew to the Island between April and June. This was a three percent increase compared to last year.

l2009's second quarter statistics were the worst in the past 30 years. In total 74,979 people flew to the Island compared to 87,445 tourists in 2008.

l In 1980 150,528 people flew to the Island during the second quarter, two decades later the number had fallen to 113,842. Since then the highest number of visitors to fly to the Island during the second quarter was in 2006 when 101,133 people came by plane.

l The majority of people flying in came on vacation, 19 percent came for business and 16 percent came to visit someone living on the Island.

Cruise Arrivals

l 171,295 passengers sailed to the Island which represents the largest second quarter total ever. The figure is 37 percent higher than last year's cruise arrivals.

l Over the past three decades air arrivals have nearly quadrupled. In 1980 just 43,111 people cruised to Bermuda during the three month period, in fact the total number of cruise visitors in 1980 was only 600 people more than this year's second quarter figure. By 2000 the figure rose to 77,960, since then it has been steadily increasing.

Yacht Arrivals

l The number of visitors who came by yacht rose 11 percent this year thanks to the Newport to Bermuda race.

l This year 3,927 people came by yacht, of those 1,588 were a part of the bi-annual race. Dr. Brown said the bi-annual race generates more revenue for Bermuda than any other tourism event.