it has been claimed could top 40 percent of all visitors to the Island.

There are concerns that Bermuda could find itself in a similar situation to the Bahamas, which saw cruise arrivals soar to 60 percent -- but without a matching boost to the economy.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said he believed the number of people coming by sea could reach 220,000, nearly 30,000 more than 1999 -- though those claims are disputed by Tourism Minister David Allen.

Mr. Dodwell is concerned the rise, partly due to the new weekend vessel, was sending the wrong message to hotels, who are battling to halt a decline in bookings.

But Mr. Allen disagrees, saying he thinks the numbers may actually be lower than this year. And he accused Mr. Dodwell of being too simplistic with the numbers, which with the advent of cruise-and-stay holidays, were not simply divided into air and sea passengers.

With 100 cabins on the Crown Dynasty and 251 on the Norwegian Majesty for hotel holidays, he said there could be thousands of bed nights sold through the programme.

With potentially hundreds of passengers leaving the ships each week for Island hotels, he said the overall numbers on the ships could not be simply classified as cruise passengers any more.

He said: "There is no actual quota (of daily cruise numbers). I don't think we are keen to see it go over 200,000. The ideal balance would be one third cruise and two-thirds air.

Mr. Dodwell said cruise numbers, although they contribute to the retail economy, do not bring increased prosperity in the way accommodations have.

"The sixth cruise ship was a big mistake. It is going take us over 40 percent, which is outrageous and far too much for the Island to handle,'' he said.

"The Bahamas went through this about ten years ago. They allowed numbers to get to 60 percent and it was a huge mistake. They had the highest levels of unemployment ever.'' There is a belief that showing visitors the Island via a cruise vacation persuades many to come back for a land-based holiday.

But Mr. Dodwell cited a study in the Caribbean which showed only nine percent of cruisers planned to return to stay in a hotel. If that rate was applied to Bermuda, based on this year's numbers, there would be around 18,000 extra people in hotels.

The whole cruising experience, with one price for everything on what is actually a floating hotel, is partly what attracts vacationers who often spend very little at their destination.

Statistics show cruisers overall spend nine times less money on Island than those staying in hotels.

In addition, there is added pressure on the infrastructure -- with the beaches, transportation system and utilities all taking the extra load.

And the Southampton West MP is not convinced the cruise-and-stay concept, which will be an integral part of the new weekend schedule, will bring the thousands of bed nights claimed by Mr. Allen.

"A cruiser is a cruiser is a cruiser. They are very, very loyal to the cruise industry,'' Mr. Dodwell said.

"We are not opposed to cruise ships but it is a balancing issue. What can the infrastructure handle? Our view was 6,000 a day.'' Mr. Allen hinted that more berths could be allocated to the cruise-and-stay programme this coming season.

He said negotiations were taking place with Celebrity Cruises with regard to the Horizon . It is understood a possible limit on numbers could be on the agenda.

And 130 berths on the Nordic Empress may be in the frame for guests staying in hotels.

Cruise-and-stay passengers on the weekend ship will have to stay a minimum of three nights in a hotel. And if the cruise line does not fill 100 cabins, it will have to sail with the remainder empty.

TOURISM TOU