Arrivals drop 27 percent
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Chart: How hotels are faring
By David Briscoe
Associated Press
Tourism was down 27 percent in November from a year ago, but state analysts see signs of recovery in the new figures, including strong increases in cruise visitors.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
The biggest drops in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 East Coast terrorist attacks continued to be among international visitors, with a 54 percent decline from November a year ago. For the year so far, overall arrivals are down 8.5 percent — 14.5 percent for foreign tourists and 5.2 percent for domestic.
Visitors had their pick of choice spots when it came to relaxing on Waikiki Beach earlier this month, as tourism numbers continued to drop following Sept. 11.
Counting the number of days visitors stay, rather than the numbers of tourists who arrive, the decline for the month was only 19 percent — much lower than in either September or October, said Seiji Naya, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The average time spent in the Islands also was up 11 percent from a year ago, according to the November data.
Despite the overall declines and the collapse of the domestic cruise ship industry and the loss of two Hawai'i-based ships, foreign cruiseliners were bringing far more passengers into the state than a year ago.
"We are pleased by the continued strength in the cruise segment of our visitor industry," Naya said. He noted projections by the industry that 250,000 cruise visitors are expected in Hawai'i in 2002, compared with 160,000 this year.
This includes passengers who shop in Hawai'i ports as well as people arriving by plane to stay in hotels and spend money in Hawai'i before boarding the cruise ships.
The cruise ship data were based on the arrival of 14,498 passengers who boarded four foreign-flagged vessels in November.
Last year, before operations ended for the Hawai'i-based SS Independence and ms Patriot, the industry recorded 5,122 passengers for the month on the Independence and one foreign ship.
The Big Island continued to hold visitors for the longest stays, at just under eight full days, followed by O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i, Lana'i and Moloka'i.
Total visitor arrivals for November were at 388,561, down from 533,497 a year ago, or 27.2 percent.
In terms of visitor days, the 19 percent decline compared with 25.6 percent in October and 28.9 percent in September. Domestic visitors showed an even more pronounced trend toward less decline.
Among other bright spots in the data were a 2.5 percent growth in repeat visitors over last year and an increase of more than one day per person in the length of stay by foreign visitors.
Reflecting the shift to longer visits, the number of visitors staying in timeshare properties jumped 88 percent and those staying on cruise ships was up 17 percent over last year.
The November report sees a sign of recovery even in the Japanese figures.
While the number of Japanese visitors was down 44 percent for September, 54 percent for October and 59 percent for November, there was reason for optimism in early December data, it said.
For the first 18 days of December, the report said, the year-to-year decrease was at 35.4 percent, and for the last five days of that period, it was at 19.9 percent below the same five days a year ago, which the department report characterized as the smallest decline since Sept. 11.
• On the Web
Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism: www.hawaii.gov/dbedt
