By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Bermuda tourism is as strong as it has been in years, according to new data from the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The island saw an 11.7 percent increase in leisure air arrivals in 2018, with a total of 770,700 total visitor arrivals last year.

That represented the third straight year of what the tourism authority called “economic comeback and uninterrupted growth.”

“By every imaginable definition, Bermuda’s tourism industry is on a sustained path of recovery,” said Kevin Dallas, Bermuda Tourism Authority’s chief executive. “Our team put together a totally fresh tourism approach in 2014 and 2015. Stakeholders believed in our vision and helped build on the new foundation. That two-step process is the reason the country’s tourism has progressed so impressively.”

Last year saw a record-breaking number of total vacationers for a second consecutive year, marking the highest number of leisure air arrivals to Bermuda since 2002.

Total visitor spending into Bermuda’s economy climbed past $500 million, while cruise passenger arrivals jumped 34 percent during non-summer months, the BTA said.

“These stellar results represent real men and women in Bermuda’s hospitality industry who have seen positive impacts on their lives – whether they own a small business or call someone else the boss,” Dallas said.

— CJ