Tourism numbers up slightly over 2001
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
Slightly more than 513,000 visitors came to Hawai'i in October, an expected improvement over the same month a year ago but still 7.7 percent below 2000 levels.
Most October visitor data released yesterday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism showed an improvement compared to October 2001, when the Sept. 11 attacks led to a drop in arrivals. Visitor arrivals were also lower than in 2000 when 555,581 tourists came.
DBEDT Director Seiji Naya called the October figures "a respectable performance when measured against historical trends."
He noted that arrivals from the Mainland continued strong and arrivals from Japan, which have been slow to recover since 9/11, are improving.
International arrivals for the year-to-date were down 10.3 percent, an improvement compared with declines of 20 percent earlier this year.
The number of international visitors coming to the Islands for weddings and honeymoons is up 46.5 percent for the year-to-date, including a 43.5 percent increase in Japanese weddings and honeymoons. The number of Japanese visitors was up 85.7 percent for the month.
Meanwhile, U.S. West visitor arrivals increased 4.5 percent in October, while U.S. East visitor arrivals are down 2.1 percent.
Total visitor days were up 31.2 percent while arrivals were up 31.7 percent in October compared with the same month in 2001. Domestic visitors are staying an average of 10.38 days, up from 9.91 days in the same month a year ago. Domestic visitors days increased 24.1 percent in October. U.S. West visitor days are up 19.9 percent for October.
For the year-to-date, domestic visitor days are up 3.8 percent. That includes a 5.6 percent increase in U.S. West visitor days and a half percent increase in U.S. East visitor days.
In October, international visitors stayed an average of 6.61 days, down from 7 days a year ago. Japanese visitors stayed an average 5.69 days, down 5.9 percent. Total Japanese visitor days were up 74.8 percent in October, boosted by more arrivals, but were down 11.2 percent for the year to date.
Even compared with October 2001 levels, the number of visitors attending conventions dropped 4.4 percent.
Year-to-date, the number of visitors coming for vacations is down 3.4 percent, for corporate meetings down 16.7 percent and for incentive travel down 18.4 percent. Meanwhile, the number of visitors coming for weddings and honeymoons is up 22 percent. The number of visitors staying in hotels has dropped 2.5 percent and in condominiums it has dropped 1.3 percent.
All Neighbor Islands saw a rise in visitors compared with last October. Year-to-date, Moloka'i visitors have increased 35.2 percent, Lana'i visitors have increased 30.9 percent and Big Island visitors have increased 2.1 percent.
Cruise ships carried about 33,434 passengers in October, and cruise visitors stayed an average 7.16 days in Hawai'i, including an average of 4.87 days on the cruise and 2.29 days before or after the cruise.
Preliminary visitor expenditure data for September also released today showed that total visitor expenditures amounted to $783 million, up 51.6 percent. Visitors spent an average of $176, a 10.9 percent increase, and stayed for an average of 9.62 days, up 6.6 percent.
Daily spending by Japanese visitors, the highest spending visitor group, was $289 per person in September, up 24 percent. U.S. West and U.S. East visitors both spent an average of $145 a day, while Canadian visitors spent an average of $141 a day. While U.S. East visitors are spending less per day, U.S. West visitors are spending more, said state economist Pearl Imada Iboshi.
"Having that increase is a positive sign since it is the fastest growing segment," Iboshi said.
Year-to-date, average daily spending was $171, up 1 percent, and expenditures for each visitor trip averaged $1,586, up 4 percent.
