The Island?s tourism marketing has failed and Bermuda has become ?just another island? in a crowded travel market, a top hotelier charged yesterday.

President of the Bermuda Hotel Association (BHA), Michael Winfield said projections from August to November this year showed transient business was down 16.25 percent, group business was flat and tour operator business was down 7.8 percent.

Mr. Winfield said the hotel occupancy rate for August was 70 percent, compared to 79 percent last year. Mr. Winfield was referring to the Pace Report, produced monthly by the BHA using statistics from its seven members, described by him as ?pretty representative of the rooms available in Bermuda?.

He added that the projection for September 2005 ? as of the end of August ? was at 52 percent, compared to 55 percent last year.

While October this year shows a projection of 51 percent, compared to 52 percent last year.

While November this year shows a dismal 28 percent, compared to 42 last year.

Mr. Winfield said clearly airfares are a factor as are the hurricanes, particular hurricane media coverage.

Mr. Winfield said the significant reduction in occupancy rates was a combination of issues and it would be wrong and naive to start looking for easy, quick fixes because the last two years have proved that ?quick fixes were not the way to go?.

?We have, in my opinion, a brand crisis in our major markets. By that I mean we have failed to identify what Bermuda is for the prospective vacationer.

?But above all of these, it is my belief is that we simply slipped out of the thinking process of the prospective market and those that can afford Bermuda, simply aren?t considering Bermuda as a vacation alternative.?

Mr. Winfield said Bermuda needs to become the ?BMW of the comparative destinations?, adding: ?We have to be special!?

He added that for years Bermuda has divided itself into two separate industries ? international business and tourism ? and those in international business have to an extent felt somewhat insulated from the tourism situation.

?The reality is that a successful international business industry is formed in large part on the base of the tourism infrastructure.

In other words, international business clients and employees utilise the aircraft, restaurants, hotels and the service industry largely created the service the tourism industry. as part of their daily activities,? he said.

He added that it was time everyone in Bermuda realised that ?intrinsic co-dependency? of both these industries.

?It is also time, I think, that we all came together towards finding solutions which are available.?

Mr. Winfield did add that the while this was the general picture of the industry, he was pleased to see that some of the other members were doing better than last year.