Bermuda’s winter air arrivals increased for the first time this year since 2008.Tourism Minister Patrice Minors announced air arrivals from January to March were up seven percent compared to last year, which was the worst on record.The figures were announced at a press conference at Cambridge Beaches this afternoon.Mrs Minors said: “The number of air arrivals in the first quarter totalled 30,824, representing an increase of nearly seven percent from 28,865 visitors in the first quarter [last year].“Canada continued to be the best performer with 6,469 arrivals up an amazing 50 percent over the same period a year ago. Canada’s share of business increased to 21 percent for the period, up from 15 percent. This is directly due to the increased WestJet service as well as heightened marketing effort of the tourism team in the past year.”Mrs Minors also announced a new reward programme where people who refer tourists to local hotel properties can receive cash rewards.Looking forward, Mrs Minors said bookings for May and June are up ten percent compared to the same period last year.