The number of people expected to visit Bermuda by cruise ship in 2020 is 1,000 less than the 544,000 predicted for this year.A government announcement this week said that next year’s schedule included “more total calls, more passengers, and more visits distributed throughout the year”.It said an estimated 543,000 cruise ship passengers would visit the island in 2020.The Ministry of Tourism and Transport said last December that the island was expected to host about 544,000 passengers in 2019.A ministry spokesman said this week: “The emphasis is more correctly placed on the total number of calls, an increased distribution of cruise ships throughout the year, and a greater number of stops in smaller ports rather than the specific number.”Hurricane-related cancellations meant that the year-end total was expected to be lower than the earlier prediction.The spokesman explained: “In terms of absolute numbers, as a result of cruise cancellations due to weather conditions, yes, we are likely to be below the projected 544,000. “However, we won’t be compiling those stats until the end of the year, when we can take into consideration all the changes that occurred during the year.”The Government said on Sunday: “The total projected number of ship calls for this year fell slightly from 185 to 176 due to eight cancellations during recent hurricane activity in the Atlantic.”No information was given on the remaining call included in the drop in numbers.The Government added that almost 60 per cent of this year’s cruise visitors came during the “non-summer” months from September to May.It said next year’s line-up will continue the “encouraging trend” of extending the season into December.A combination of contract calls and occasional callers brought the total number of cruise ship visits projected in the 2020 schedule to 197.St George’s was expected to take 19 calls — up from 16 this year — with the same number for Hamilton, an increase of six.Figures from the Bermuda Tourism Authority showed more than 484,000 cruise passengers visited in 2018 — a record-breaking year for overall visitor arrivals and which pumped about $505 million into the economy.The first draft of the 2020 cruise ship schedule can be viewed at http://www.marops.bm/shipping_button_link.aspx and is subject to change