New visitor arrival forms at LF Wade International Airport are helping to report more accurately on industry performance, according to Bermuda Tourism Authority.

A press release states that data collection is improved in three key areas:

Accommodation: the new arrival form now asks whether the visitor intends to stay in a vacation rental. Vacation rentals is a growing category of lodging for visitors worldwide. Bermuda is no exception. Other categories of accommodation choices remain on the form.

Primary Purpose of Visit: the new arrival form provides five additional choices for purpose of visit. If the passenger is visiting family and friends he/she is asked whether it’s for personal or vacation reasons. If the passenger is here for America’s Cup he/she is asked whether it’s for business or leisure purposes. A fifth new choice allows the passenger to choose destination wedding if he/she is here for that purpose. In all, there are now 11 choices in the primary purpose of visit category.

Repeat Visitation: the arrival form now asks if the current arrival is the visitor’s first trip to Bermuda.

The new form went into effect in April.

Lamar Caines, the BTA research assistant who led the transition to the new form, stated: “The new form allows us to better assess the impact the BTA is having on visitor air arrivals.

“The BTA’s mandate is to grow air arrivals in two specific categories: vacation travel and group travel. This new form allows us to monitor these categories more accurately and when we report visitor numbers it will give the public a clearer view of the BTA’s performance in these areas.”

Bill Hanbury, the BTA’s CEO, said: “It’s very important to the tourism industry to make these improvements in data collection.

“Traditionally business air arrivals as well as visiting friends and relatives are reported in the performance data when really the BTA has very limited influence on business people and friends and relatives who come to Bermuda.

“Now the form will give visitors here on business the option to tell us whether they’re here on individual business or as part of a group participating in a conference, meeting or incentive trip.

“These are categories the BTA will monitor closely because our business development managers in New York are working to grow specific categories of group travel. This is just one way the new form improves measurement and accountability.”