EVERY year around the holiday season, Bermudians flee the island en masse, seeking Christmas excitement in warmer climes, on the ski slopes, or in the casinos.

According to Pat Adderley, a customer relations representative for the popular C-Travel agency, Bermudian travellers are loyal tourists: winter destinations vary relatively little from year to year.

"As usual, Orlando, Florida is popular with families," Mrs. Adderley explained. "In fact, the general public is all over the place, visiting relatives and friends in the US."

Local families lacking the patience for long queues at Florida theme parks hit the slopes in the US and Canada, according to Mrs. Adderley.

"Yearly, we see people skiing out west in Colorado, or at Banff or Whistler."

Young and old alike take to the high seas or try their luck at the slot machines, as Mrs. Adderley explained: "Cruises around the Caribbean remain popular, as do trips to Las Vegas.

"As a travel destination, Las Vegas is a favourite year-round."

Cheryl Hayward-Chew, vice-president of Meyer-Franklin Travel, concurred: "Our leisure manager has been tracking holiday travel trends, and they've been the same over the last several years," she explained. "Bermudian families head to Orlando, go skiing, or take cruises. It's traditional."

Contrary to the observations of Mrs. Adderley and Ms Hayward-Chew, Michael Cherry, manager of Watlington and Conyers Ltd, noted a Bermudian tendency to stay relatively close to home.

"Locals don't go too far away for Christmas," Mr. Cherry said. "The Eastern seaboard is always popular; cities like New York and Boston, for instance, or Vermont for skiing."

Mr. Cherry cited Toronto as a local favourite; Bermudians flock to Canada for holiday shopping and visiting relatives.

In addition to the predictably full flights bound for US gateway cities from December 23 through January 5, C-Travel has experienced a particularly high demand for its annual holiday charters.

According to Mrs. Adderley, the agency's December charter flights to Jamaica, Orlando and St. Kitts have been overwhelmingly popular, with few empty seats.

Agents at C-Travel have observed one interesting anomaly in sales this year. "We've seen an increase in gift certificate purchases," Mrs. Adderley said.

"More and more Bermudians are giving the gift of travel."