By VERNON CLEMENT JONES, Guardian Business Editor, vernon@nasguard.com

The local tourism industry is unlikely to capture a significant share of the economic stimulus checks now popping up in bank accounts across the U.S., suggests a leading Bahamian tour operator, pointing to this destination's focus on high-end visitors.

"I don't think the little guy receiving a check is going to spend it on a trip to The Bahamas," Bahamas Experience CEO Michael Symonette told Guardian Business Monday. "That stimulus package isn't going to result in any movement upward for us.

The prognostications came the same day U.S. government officials began depositing thousands of rebate checks in taxpayers' bank accounts - days ahead of schedule.

Those checks - bound for 130 million households and expected range from $600 for an individual to $1,200 for a couple - are meant to jump-start the sputtering American economy. By the way, parents are due to receive an additional 300 bucks for each of their children.

The idea behind the George Bush initiative is to send Americans of all stripes racing into the malls of America on a collective spending spree. In theory, they'll fill cash registers across the land, sending money racing through an economy on the cusp of recession. While many economists believe the country has fallen into that firestorm, President Bush disputes that contention, asserting it's nothing more than a period of slower growth.

Whatever the classification, Symonette is the first Bahamian businessman to suggest those government checks - especially those directed at low and middle-income earners - won't make it to The Bahamas. "They're more likely to be spent paying down debt like mortgages," he said, alluding to the subprime debacle largely blamed for current crisis.

If Americans do opt to blow that money on travel, it will likely be in cheaper vacation haunts, closer to home, he told Guardian Business.

Still, this country's deliberate move to the high-end of the market has perhaps canceled out the need to win those budget-conscious holidayers.

"The high-end traveler - those this market is increasingly focused on - isn't terribly influenced by the stimulus package checks," said Symonette, whose own operation has garnered a large share of the ground transportation business flowing in and out of Atlantis. "Those kind of visitors haven't had their travel spending greatly affected by the economic downturn in the U.S.," he added. "They're continuing to come to The Bahamas."

It's an observation borne out by the relatively static demand for his own services despite the growing economic troubles facing those in his most important market, the States.

Ministry of Tourism data supports Symonette. While cruise passenger arrivals fell off 10 percent in January, compared to those a year earlier, the number of air arrivals actually grew six percent.

The latter on average pump $2,000 more into the local economy than their cruise ship counterparts. They also contribute significantly more to the bottom line of tour operations like Bahamas Experience.