The number of visitors to Hawai'i rose 4.1 percent in January from the same month a year earlier, starting the year on a positive note after a decline in arrivals in 2007, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

There were other bright spots in the report, including increases in visitor spending, the average length of stay and visitor days.

A total of 597,126 visitors traveled to the Islands by air and ship in January and stayed an average of 10.54 days, a 3.3 percent increase from a year earlier. Those traveling by air spent a total of $1.1 billion, an 8.3 percent increase from January 2007. Visitor days rose 7.5 percent to 6.3 million.

"We are pleased by the growth in total cruise and air visitor arrivals and the continued increase in air visitor spending in January 2008," said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.

Among the top four visitor markets, arrivals by air from Canada jumped 27.7 percent. Arrivals rose 3.9 percent from the U.S. West and 2.2 percent from the U.S. East. Arrivals from Japan continued to sag with a 5.2 percent decline compared with January 2007. Arrivals from all other geographic areas grew 13.3 percent.

MARKETING CREDITED

Wienert credited an increased marketing effort by the hotels and the Hawai'i Visitor and Convention Bureau with helping to boost January visitor numbers. The strong arrival numbers defied expectations of a lackluster start to the year.

"They rose to the occasion," Wienert said. "We are especially excited with the surge of visitors from Canada, Hawai'i's fourth largest visitor market."

She noted that the 27.7 percent growth in arrivals by air from Canada was the sixth consecutive month of increases since August 2007. Canadian visitor arrivals have risen on an annual basis every year since 2002.

Kaua'i was the only island to see a decline in visitors, with a 3.2 percent drop from January 2006. Arrivals rose 3.5 percent for O'ahu, 1.9 percent for Maui, 5 percent for the Big Island, 6.5 percent for Lana'i and 19.3 percent for Moloka'i.

The number of total cruise visitors for the month dropped 9.6 percent, with two fewer ship tours in January 2008 compared with 2007. State officials are expecting other drops in cruise visitors with Norwegian Cruise Lines shifting two of its U.S.-flagged ships out of state. One left early this month, the other is scheduled to leave in May.

In January, nine cruise ships from outside the state made port calls in Hawai'i, compared with eight in the same month last year. A cruise ship may be counted multiple times if it leaves Hawai'i then returns with new passengers within the same month.

CRUISE GROWTH

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