Tourism Minister David Dodwell hopes air arrivals will increase by as much as 15,000 this year.

He also believes that Bermuda tourism could have turned the corner and that a collective good feeling about the industry was returning.

Mr. Dodwell was speaking to the Bermuda Human Resource Association yesterday when he spelled out some of the future initiatives planned to revive the visitor industry.

But he said they could only succeed if there was a partnership between Government and all sections of the community.

According to Mr. Dodwell, TV advertisements will run more on local US cable stations instead of national television and greater emphasis will be placed on magazine advertising.

Marketing of specific events will also take place with Cup Match being advertised abroad and a scheme put into place to create "Camp Bermuda'' for children.

A "Sunset Series'' of evening entertainment shows involving Bermudians will be established.

The US-based Monitor Group is also about to start its work on examining the Island's tourism product.

And there will soon be an initiative telling Islanders what efforts are being made to improve visitor numbers as well as a joint marketing effort with hotels.

"This year we will focus on partnership,'' he said. "The focus on partnership is more critical than ever before.

"Government cannot do it alone and everyone has to work together to be successful. Government does not own the product and I am talking about a national effort,'' said Mr. Dodwell.

He added: "We have stopped the decline in tourist arrivals. We have bottomed out.

"I am getting a collective feeling that people feel we will have a good year.

Will we return to the early 1980s? Not right away, but our partners overseas are seeing that we are moving in the right direction.'' Last year tourist numbers increased by more than 19,000 compared to 1995, however air arrivals increased by just 0.8 percent and the rest was accounted for by an increase in cruise ship passengers.

"My goal for 1997 is that I would like to see a three to five percent growth in air arrivals, or about 10,000 or 15,000 people.'' The Minister told the audience: "The decline in tourism did not happen overnight. We are trying to arrest something that has been happening over the last 15 years.

"We cannot blame ourselves for some of the problems we have now although some are within our control, such as the way we portray ourselves and how we market tourism.

"I think we are in a period of transition now, but that is not negative, it is a positive thing and is all about change.''