Updated at 1:36 p.m., Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Visitor arrivals flat this year, state economists say
Advertiser Staff
Visitor arrivals this year should be essentially flat with last year's record 7.5 million visitors, according to a state estimate released today.The number of visitors to Hawai'i this year is expected to rise 0.3 percent this year, which is down from an August forecast of 2 percent growth. Still, visitor spending should improve by 5.4 percent this year to $12.5 billion, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reported in its final economic forecast of the year.
Overall, DBEDT expects continued but slowing economic growth for Hawai'i through 2006 and into 2007. Continued strength in construction and other sectors should maintain the growth of the overall economy, despite anemic visitor arrival growth.
"Because of our vibrant economy, we are able to sustain solid job and income growth in Hawai'i, despite some slowdown in residential housing activity and lower than expected growth in tourism," said DBEDT Director Ted Liu.
