year, according to the latest monthly figures for November released yesterday.

Air arrivals for the year to November are down 6.99 percent at 315,462, although cruise visitors are up 6.29 percent to an all-time high of 207,881.

The figures released by the Ministry of Tourism show year on year in November, the total number of visitors was down 2.15 percent at 524,467.

Tourism said the increase in cruise visitors was due not only to the addition of a weekend cruise ship, which accounted for nearly 15,000 additional visitors who contributed over $3 million to the Island's economy, but also to the fact that larger capacity vessels filled berths previously held by smaller ships.

Tourism Minister David Allen said he expected the two-percent growth rate in cruise arrivals to level off this year.

And according to the Department of Tourism's 2000 cruise study, 75 percent of visitors cruising to the Island rated Bermuda as an "excellent'' destination, and 20 percent said it was "very good''.

Cruise passengers spent on average $151 each while on the Island, a dollar less than the same time last year, and far less than airline travellers.

It is unclear what the future holds for Mr. Allen's Cruise and Stay Scheme after Commodore Holdings, the owners of Crown Dynasty , filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States.

The ship, which sailed to Dockyard and was taking part in the Cruise and Stay programme, will remain tied up while bankruptcy proceedings continue and will not sail to the Island this year.

Combination visits by Ship/Air visitors -- presumed to be part of Government's Cruise/Stay/Fly programme -- were down almost nine percent to 1,124 visitors.

Air arrivals out of the United States for November fell more than six percent to 15,870 compared to the same month last year.

But the Ministry of Tourism said that "this was partly compensated by the number of visitors arriving from Canada which jumped nearly 13 percent'' over the same month last year to 3,242.

For the year to date, however, US air arrivals are down 9.14 percent to 245,517.

Air arrivals from Britain were down 4.69 percent in November at 2,091, while European visitors were down 1.62 percent at 424.

For the year to date, air arrivals from the UK are up 1.52 percent at 26,902, Europe is down 11.02 percent at 6,256, and the rest of the world (excluding the US and Canada) is up 17.20 percent at 8,219.

The statistics indicate that the year 2000 will have the fewest visitors arriving by air in more than two decades.

The all important bed nights statistics suffered a 12.5 percent decrease year to date with a 6.06 percent decline in November.

However, occupancy rates for November are up two percent at 54 percent for November.

Bed nights at large hotels declined by 7.99 percent, and year to date they were down almost 20 percent.

And although guest houses experienced a 35 percent increase in bed nights in November, they were down almost 25 percent for the year, not including December.