Updated at 5:06 p.m., Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Earthquakes send visitor arrivals down 4,2% in October
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Visitor spending also dipped just slightly by 0.4 percent compared to October last year, according to figures released today by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
Arrivals so far are now 0.3 percent below levels the same time last year. Visitor spending year-to-date, however, is up 3.4 percent.
"Our visitor industry continues to perform well, especially when compared to last year's exceptional results," said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert. "The Oct. 15 earthquake may have had a short-term impact on visitor activity for the month, but we are optimistic that the visitor industry will continue to remain strong."
The number of visitors from the U.S. West in October grew 2.2 percent while U.S. East visitor arrivals fell 4.1 percent. Japanese arrivals, which have been falling all year, dropped 11.4 percent. Canadian visitor arrivals grew 1.1 percent.
