feb-2018c

12 OPENING LINES BERMUDARECORDSHIGHEST-EVERNUMBEROFVISITORS IN2017 2 017“brought the highest number of visitors to the island in recorded history,”the Bermuda TourismAuthority (BTA) said recently,adding that“the 692,947total arrivals is the best statis- tical performance dating back to 1965.” Previously,2007was the industry’s highmark; ad- ditionally,year-end hotel occupancypassed the 60 percent mark for the first time since 2007.“Bermuda’s tourism industryachieved itsmost impressive perfor- mance in a decade last year with the number of leisure air visitors and themoney they spend on-island surging to double-digit percentage growth,”the BTAsaid. All keyperformance indicators for the tourism in- dustryfinished higher in 2017when compared to the previous year: n Air leisure spending up 22.5% n Cruise spending up 7.6% n Leisure air arrivals up 11%