Posted on: Saturday, August 25, 2001

Hawai'i visitors' daily spending 'promising'

Advertiser Staff

Daily spending by visitors from three of Hawai'i's four major markets rose during the first half of 2001, which state economists hailed as a good sign.

Spending by visitors from the Western region of the United States rose 2.6 percent compared to the same period last year, to $154.46 per day, according to figures released yesterday by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Although Westerners have the highest total spending for any group, their daily spending is the weakest. Their gains in this survey were the smallest.

Visitors from the Eastern region, Hawai'i's second-highest spending group, saw a nearly 6 percent decline in their daily spending compared to the first six months of 2000, to $170.87 per day.

Japanese visitors are ranked third in terms of total spending, but their daily outlay is the highest, coming in at $237.41 per day for the first six months of 2001, a 4.4 percent increase.

Canadians posted the largest increase in daily spending for the first half of 2001, laying down $156.58 per day, nearly 9 percent more than during the first six months of 2000.

"Combined with a stable average daily census, this can only be viewed as promising in terms of overall economic impact," said department director Seiji Naya.