Visitor arrivals fall 7.4 percent in May

By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer

A nearly 40 percent drop in Japanese visitors to Hawai'i brought the total number of Island visitors down 7.4 percent last month compared with May of 2002.

Overall, 469,905 visitors came to the Islands in May, down from 507,680 in the year-ago period. The good news is that tourists stayed longer on average, bringing the total number of days all visitors spent in Hawai'i up 0.1 percent.

The May numbers clearly showed the continued fallout from global events — such as the war with Iraq and outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome — on Hawai'i's $10 billion tourism industry. However, these events cut both ways by making the Islands a potentially safer, yet exotic destination for some visitors, while leading others to stay home. Through May, total visitor arrivals in the state were down 0.3 percent from the year-ago period, according to figures released today by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

As has been the trend in recent months, domestic arrivals grew — 1.7 percent year-over-year — while total international arrivals plunged 28.6 percent.

"It is becoming evident that Hawai'i is a very attractive and safe place both to visit and do business, especially in these turbulent times," said DBEDT Director Ted Liu.

Of particular concern was the continued trend toward fewer visitors from Japan. That trend appears to be accelerating. That's partly a result of sub-par business during Golden Week — a spring-time period when a series of national holidays allow Japanese workers to vacation. While the trend traces its roots to a weak Japanese economy, the recent dip also is pegged to war and SARS.

On O'ahu, where Waikiki helps draw the greatest number of tourists, visitor arrivals fell 16.1 percent compared with May 2002. Kaua'i and Lana'i also suffered losses of 3.9 percent and 27.9 percent respectively last month. Meanwhile, all other islands experienced increases in visitors — Maui, for example, had a 4.2 percent increase in visitor arrivals and Moloka'i had a 19.5 percent jump.

While the total number of visitors coming into the state fell, those who made the trip stayed longer, bringing the average length of stay up to 9.45 days — an 8.1 percent increase in duration from May 2002. Visitor days are considered a good gauge of the economic contribution of tourism in the state.

Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this report.