Could Tourism and Transport Minister Ewart Brown be sabotaging the Buy Bermuda campaign with the increased number of flights to Bermuda?

The increased number of less expensive flights were expected to increase the number of air arrivals ? i.e. the number of tourists ? on the Island. However, the Department of Statistics? report on the second quarter of 2004 showed a different trend: air arrivals had continued to decrease while travel ? and overseas expenditure ? by Bermudians was climbing. The number of air arrivals decreased by five percent over the same period last year, from 93,399 in 2003 to 88,670 in 2004.

However, Dr. Brown was unfazed by those numbers. ?It?s still early to expect a significant impact on the North American side,? he said from overseas last week. ?This is the first season and it?s only been about five months since it started.

?I realise that gross numbers fell slightly, but that is spread out over a larger number of flights. The next step is to fill those additional flights, as opposed to having only the original number of aircraft full.?

The method had been to establish the flights first, then fill them, he explained. Start-up routes do not usually fill up during their first year, he added, but, other than the Bermuda-Fort Lauderdale flight, there is no indication the other less expensive flights will disappear. But could the new flights be sabotaging the Buy Bermuda campaign? Bermudians took full advantage of the flights in the second quarter of 2004, with resident travel leaping by 17.4 percent over last year, mostly to the United States. Bermudians also spent more money overseas than ever before, with residents declaring a 42.7 percent increase in their overseas expenditure. Purchases of jewellery and watches overseas nearly tripled, while purchases of clothing and footwear increased by 46.7 percent. ?I never was a fan of forcing Bermudians to live without options, and I think that the competition is fair,? Dr. Brown said. Bermudians should not shop locally as an ?obligation?, he added, but because that was where the best deals were. I think there are a lot of Bermudian businesses stepping up already, trying to widen their selection choices, attract customers, open at more customer-friendly hours ... For years Bermudians had to take what was offered. Now they don?t, and they are showing they will search for the best deal.?

In a capitalist market, he said, storeowners, will do the same.