Shadow Tourism Minister Cole Simons believes Bermuda suffered a 30 percent drop in air arrivals over the past decade through poor planning and brand awareness.Tourism Minister Patrice Minors announced on Wednesday that 232,262 people arrived on the Island by plane last year, compared to 332,191 in the year 2000.Last year was one of the best-ever years for cruise ship passengers, with 347,931 stepping ashore in Bermuda, a nine percent increase on the year before.However, industry critics have frequently commented that cruise visitors do not spend as much money on the Island as tourists who fly here.Total visitor arrivals were up 4.7 percent for 2010, compared to the previous year.Ms Minors said despite the lower number of air arrivals, data showed these visitors stayed slightly longer.And she commented on Wednesday: “I am excited about the future of Bermuda tourism. We are being aggressive with our promotions and marketing efforts and we are keen to ensure that there is a great buzz about Bermuda.”But responding to the air arrivals data last night, Mr Simons said: “Our downward spiralling statistics have confirmed only one thing, and that is the PLP Government has failed to effectively manage Bermuda as a tourist destination. This is not surprising as there is no national tourism plan.”He accused Government of sending out mixed messages in promotional campaigns regarding what type of visitors it wants to attract, and alleged that “our brand awareness is shot”.According to Mr Simons: “Bermuda’s brand recognition has virtually disappeared from our well known core markets which include the east coast hubs like Boston, New York, Atlanta and Miami.“Our mismanagement must not continue. We can not continue to spend millions of tax payers money for such abysmally poor returns. We can ill afford to waste Government money for these poor results.”He called for a “clear tourism vision” going forward, coupled with more night-time activities for tourists.Useful links: Department of Communication and Information Facebook page [Ms Minors’ statement] www.ubp.bm.