Canadian air arrivals to Bermuda are bouncing upward, driven by a shifting political landscape and better air connections to the island.

But they could be even better, according to a veteran hotelier.

“With the right marketing we could do more,” said David Dodwell, The Reefs Resort & Club proprietor.

Mr Dodwell is a former tourism minister and also has chaired the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

He said: “The island and its hotels need to take a fresh look at its Canadian marketing. There is the chance for us to gain business.”

Canadian air arrivals to Bermuda have increased year-on-year by 41.3 per cent, according to industry insider figures given to The Royal Gazette.

The 41.3 per cent could be misleading because the island struggled with its Canadian airline connections last year.

But Canadians made up 15 per cent of Bermuda’s recent quarterly leisure arrivals, up 5 per cent on the prior quarter.

The BTA supplies local hotels and stakeholders with preliminary tourism information, but said the numbers do not represent the official final tally.

Still, with BermudAir now providing flights to three Canadian destinations, Montreal, Toronto and Halifax, it is easier for Canadians to get to the island.

Canadians have soured somewhat on American travel. The numbers to the United States have fallen by more than 70 per cent in the past year, with Canadians preferring to visit Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe.

Mr Dodwell was unsure of what was behind the increased visits to Bermuda.

“It could be our marketing, or it could be the political situation in the United States,” he said. “It makes sense for Bermuda to be marketing itself more in Canada.”

He speculated that local airline BermudAir’s flights could be driving up interest in the island.

“Bermuda could work in conjunction with BermudAir to market the island,” he said, and added that it is not that Bermuda ignored the Canadian market in the past, but that the country was previously not a large piece of the island’s business.

In Q4 2024, Canada represented 11 per cent of Bermuda’s total air arrivals, compared with the US which made up 69 per cent, and Britain, which comprised 10 per cent.

“Air travel always points to your ability to raise business,” Mr Dodwell said. “It is important to promote gateway cities. Where you have direct service is where the largest part of your marketing goes.”

Mr Dodwell said in the Eighties and Nineties, tourism promotion was done differently, with lots of actual knocking on doors involved.

“Now there is more online stuff and social media,” he said. “That is not necessarily a bad thing.”

He said this summer is shaping up to be a good one for The Reefs in Southampton.

“We had a good year last year and now we are forecasting another one,” Mr Dodwell said.

BermudAir founder and chief executive officer Adam Scott said Halifax has been one of their most successful routes.

“We are excited to be returning to twice-weekly service this summer,” Mr Scott said. The firm hopes to increase the weekly service year-round as its popularity grows.

“Bermuda is the closest point of paradise to Halifax, and we love welcoming ‘Haligonians’ to our pink sand shores on board BermudAir,” he said. “It is fantastic to see more Canadian travellers discovering Bermuda, and we look forward to continuing to support this strong connection between our two dynamic destinations.”