The Island’s new brand image was given an upbeat appraisal by Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert, in light of a modest increase in air arrivals.Two months after Bermuda was rebranded as ‘So Much More’ for tourists, Mr Furbert presented a two percent rise in third-quarter visitor numbers over the same time last year.A total of 81,083 tourists flew to the Island for July to September this year, with August accounting for the biggest growth, up nine percent on 2011.Mr Furbert said bookings for the next six months in the Island’s top hotels mirrored the upward trend, with a two percent rise in the amount of rooms booked until March next year.Occupancy figures, he added, “significantly exceed the levels for the corresponding period of 2010”.Mr Furbert acknowledged a fall in “meeting and incentive business” has proved the biggest challenge for local hotels, adding that this, along with sports tourism, is “clearly a major focus of the new Tourism Board”.“The largest contributor to the lag in air arrivals is group business, and you will recall that I reported a 62 percent decline in quarter two. I’m pleased to report that group rooms on the books for the next six months continue to grow, and are now up 26 percent over the corresponding period a year ago.”The Minister said he expects to have a Sports Tourism Strategic Plan by today.In a meeting that broke from the norm, in that cruise ship arrivals were not given, Mr Furbert called on Bermudians to “start believing in the product”, citing safety and friendliness as two favourable traits of the Island reported by visitors.He said the ‘So Much More’ brand campaign was showing positive results.“It’s definitely having an impact,” he said, making light of comparisons with Maine’s ‘More to Maine’ sloganTourism is being pursued in hub US cities, he said, with the New York team “aggressively campaigning”.Mr Furbert also delivered sweeping predictions for ten years on, saying he expected to increase annual air arrivals from 236,000 to 481,715 by 2022.In that time, jobs in the tourism sector would rise from 3,600 to 6,157, and GDP from $300 million to $513 million.He took a swipe at last month’s assertion by the One Bermuda Alliance’s Shadow Minister, Shawn Crockwell, that August and September could be “the worst on record”.Accusing the Opposition of having no plan, Mr Furbert said his Ministry did, and was working hard on it.“Will we get everything right? No. But I promise the people of Bermuda this — I will give everything I have, my time, my sweat, and yes, sometimes, my tears.”Calling it a year of “key milestones”, Mr Furbert pointed out that a Tourism Board had been approved in April, a National Tourism Plan unveiled in June, and the ‘So Much More’ brand announced in August.Thus far, December is predicted to be a poor month for bookings, but Mr Furbert said he’d been encouraged by the number of “last minute bookings” garnered by the Island.Noting Bermuda had once again been voted “Best Island in the Caribbean/Atlantic” by Condé Nast Traveler readers, Mr Furbert said it should “make all of us feel good”.Website Expedia was touted as the Island’s largest producer of leisure visitors, sending Bermuda 30,000 room nights annually.