The Bermuda Tourism Authority is closely monitoring “shifts” in leisure travel behaviour from the United States and other international markets, the body’s acting head said.

Erin Wright, acting chief executive of the BTA, said the measure aimed to ensure the authority’s strategies remained responsive and relevant.

It came as the island recorded growth in the second quarter of 2025 across multiple tourism sectors, including accommodation, air and in the maritime industry.

Ms Wright said: “Our focus is on sustaining progress, engaging our stakeholder community and positioning Bermuda for continued success in a competitive global travel landscape.”

The BTA said that at the halfway point of the year, leisure air arrivals recorded growth of nearly 3 per cent year-on-year, with the second-quarter performance holding steady at 0.3 per cent.

It said visitors arriving by air spent an estimated $2,235 per person in the second quarter of 2025, contributing to a year-to-date average of $2,133 per person and an aggregate spend of $134.9 million.

This represented an increase of 2 per cent compared with 2024.

In the second quarter, cruise visitor numbers grew by 3 per cent, which the BTA deemed an “expected seasonal uplift”.

The growth was insufficient to counteract the reduced volume seen earlier in the year following a shift away from January to March cruise calls.

At June 30, the island had welcomed 210,947 cruise visitors, 10 per cent fewer than the same period in 2024.

The BTA said it anticipated that total cruise arrivals were not likely to meet 2024 levels, particularly in light of construction work at King’s Wharf scheduled to begin in October.

During the second quarter, 68 superyachts called in on the island, a 17 per cent increase year-on-year, which the BTA attributed to the island’s “growing appeal in the luxury yachting sector”.

Standard yacht arrivals — excluding superyachts — were lower than last year, a trend reflecting the biennial schedule of the Newport to Bermuda Race.

The authority said the prestigious event, which is held every other year, brought hundreds of yachts to the island, with more than 160 arriving in 2024.

In the second quarter, the BTA said air capacity contracted, with available inbound seats falling 6 per cent to 151,632, a year-to-date decline of just over 3 per cent.

The BTA said a combination of a loss of 8,092 inbound seats and growth in arrivals this year contributed to higher airline load factors.

The full second-quarter tourism figures are available at www.gotobermuda.com.