The value of goods imported into Bermuda fell almost 10 percent in the first quarter, according to statistics released by Government yesterday.The $219 million of goods that came in during the first three months of the year was $24 million less than during the same period in 2010.The biggest falls came in machinery, which plunged by $12 million, fuels (down $9 million) and food and beverages (down $6 million).Partly as a result of the fall in imports, the Island?s balance of payments which represents the balance of economic transactions between Bermuda resident entities and the rest of the world widened during the quarter to $154 million, up $53 million year over year.Services transactions, including insurance, business services and travel, recorded a $100 million surplus for the quarter, up $29 million on the first quarter of 2010.A growth in air arrivals and tourism spending in the first quarter boosted travel receipts to $46 million, up $8 million from the prior-year period.A $10 million fall in travel expenses reflected a 19 percent fall in the amount spent on air travel by residents.Receipts from employee compensation, paid to Bermuda residents by foreign companies, totalled $336 million in the first three months a fall of $5 million from last year.Dividend payments from Bermuda companies to non-residents shot up by $57 million.Financial account transactions produced a net outflow of $450 million, compared to a net inflow of $71 million last year. It was the third successive quarter of net outflows in excess of $400 million.