Visitor numbers fell again last year, but Tourism Minister Renee Webb said the figures were a triumph considering the impact of Hurricane Fabian.

The Department of Tourism statistics show overall visitor numbers totalled 487,318 ? down by 0.5 percent from 2002 ? with air arrivals declining nearly ten percent.

The picture could get worse. The first quarter of the season is expected to be behind 2003 because a number of hotel rooms are out of action after Fabian and won?t reach pre-Hurricane figures until at least mid-May.

However, the Bermuda Department of Tourism has refocused its marketing and promotional efforts back into its core providers in the US East Coast and in the hubs of the UK.

Ms Webb said the 2003 visitor arrival numbers showed Bermuda has a very good tourism product which was well received by visitors.

According to the Tourism Minister, despite the loss, the results are very encouraging, particularly due to the events of Hurricane Fabian in September which virtually halted all air arrivals for the month.

The year-end results highlighted several items of interest, such as an injection into the local economy of more than a quarter of a billion dollars by visitors and some positive feedback about Bermuda given in the visitor exit surveys.

Until August of 2003, arrival totals were in positive territory compared to 2002.

Cruise arrivals in 2003 were very encouraging with a healthy gain of 13 percent or 26,032 more passengers than the already strong totals in 2002.

The year 2003 was also the first year that cruise ship crews were surveyed as part of the overall picture and it was determined they contributed between $5 million and $10.7 million to the bars, restaurants and merchants of the ports.

Ms Webb said: ?Our exit surveys recorded very positive results, supporting the notion that Bermuda had struck a positive chord with its visitors last year.

?An overwhelming 98 percent of the people who visited our Island were either mostly or completely satisfied with their experience in Bermuda.

?Of this figure, an estimated 70 percent of those who visited said they would definitely return, and a further 24 percent said that they would probably come back.

?Of these same people, 83 percent said they would definitely recommend Bermuda to their friends and family as a vacation destination. This speaks volumes for the impression that Bermuda leaves with its visitors.

?From the additional estimates gathered from the exit survey study, we can assume the 256,579 visitors who arrived by air, contributed between an estimated $266 million and $300 million to Bermuda?s economy.

?And visitors from the cruise ships injected an additional $70 millioninto the economy.

?As was evident from the exit survey results, Bermuda is delivering on its product for its target audience and we hope to improve upon this during the 2004 season.?