Bermuda’s people “make a vacation special”, hundreds of American travel agents were told yesterday.

About 400 members of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) are visiting the Island for their annual global convention and members of the board met with Hamilton Mayor Graeme Outerbridge and Deputy Mayor Donal Smith at City Hall.

And Mr Outerbridge emphasised that “one of the most important” advantages of visiting Bermuda was the warm welcome extended to our visitors.

“We consider people members of our family when they come here,” he said.

He praised the Island as an ideal destination for leisure and business travellers and told the delegates Bermuda was a “magical place” that would leave them with lasting happy memories.

Mr Outerbridge focused on promoting the “huge potential” of Hamilton’s tourist product, emphasing plans to develop the waterfront.

He said the city was an international business centre and that some travellers were “not just coming here for a holiday”.

Efforts to accommodate this tourism market, the mayor said, included the building of a hotel on the Par-la-Ville Car Park site.

Describing it as a “new five-star venture” he said the city was “near to breaking ground and moving forward on that initiative”.

Mr Smith told the delegates Hamilton played a “pivotal role” in Bermuda’s economy and involved “business worth billions of dollars”.

“The City of Hamilton is a great offshore financial centre and the third largest captive insurance market,” he said, and that the city was conscious of the needs of business travellers.

ASTA president Zane Kerby thanked residents for their hospitality and said delegates had been “treated so warmly by all the people of Bermuda”.

“I’m enjoying the cuisine, architecture and golf courses,” he said. “We look forward to seeing this beautiful City Hall tonight.

“My wife and I came here on honeymoon 19 years ago so Bermuda holds a special place in my heart.”

ASTA is the world’s largest association of travel professionals and members include travels agents and the companies whose products they sell, such as tours and cruises.

Delegates arrived in Bermuda on board NCL’s Norwegian Breakaway, travelling from New York.

A ‘Taste of Bermuda’ welcome reception was hosted in Dockyard’s Victualling Yard on Wednesday night.

More than 40 vendors showcased their goods and services, including hotels, golf courses, restaurants and tour operators, plus there was live entertainment and Gombey dancers.

Minister of Tourism Development Shawn Crockwell attended to welcome the visitors and promote the Island as a destination.

“Bermuda recognises how beneficial this visit is to us and everyone is keen to ensure that your stay in Bermuda is as fantastic as it can be,” he said.

“You are important and valuable to our success and your keen understanding and knowledge of this industry is our assurance that this partnership, and I will stress that we consider you our partners, is a win-win for Bermuda.

“As a travel destination, Bermuda is a rare gem. Rich in history and culture, beautiful pink sand beaches, stunning turquoise water, world-class golf and warm, friendly people.

“But we also recognise there is a lot of competition out there and as such we are committed to quality and value — it is this combination coupled with our unique awesomeness that makes Bermuda so much more.

“We will continue to reinvent and re-energise our tourism industry and as a premier travel destination, we know that we can achieve success.

“I hope your adventures this week on our tiny Island makes you want to return again and again — and, of course, send as many people as you possibly can to experience it as well.”

Commenting on the ASTA visit, BTA CEO Bill Hanbury said: “When I got to work this morning my first order of business was to send an e-mail of thanks to the BTA team for putting on a fantastic visit for our ASTA visitors. It has been spectacular.

“This is an important group of travel influencers and they have experienced some of the best Bermuda has to offer.

“Next week I’ll be writing to our stakeholders and offering my thanks to them for the crucial role they played as well. Every one of our stakeholders is so critical to the tourism future we are building for Bermuda.”

Bermuda Tourism Authority statistics show that air arrival visitors were down 2.36 percent for the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year — from 106,313 to 103,806.

But cruise arrivals for the first half of the year were up 8.65 percent on last year, from 135,221 to 146,916.

Total visitor arrivals are up 4.12 percent between January and June this year compared with those six months of last year — from 244,281 to 254,344.