For all the declining tourism numbers here of late, there is, apparently, one sector of visitor traffic showing robust growth:

Out-of-state football coaches and recruiting specialists.

Between the "Just Win" football camp in Makawao last week and the All-Poly Camp that opened its three-day run at Kapi'olani Park yesterday, "it is incredible the people that come through here now," said Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association.

UCLA, Colorado, Washington, Texas Tech, Oregon State, Utah, Nevada-Las Vegas, with USC and Stanford on the way, are among those with representatives joining UH in its well-contested backyard. http://www.ESPN.com, http://www.Scout.com and http://www.Rivals.com are among the major recruiting services that have made the state a must-check out destination.

"We've never had this kind of exposure before," Amemiya said. And in the preseason to boot.

The 2,500 miles of ocean that once kept Hawai'i a niche market apparently no longer deters mass talent evaluation and recruiting. So much so that Norm Chow, UCLA's offensive coordinator, who was a hands-on quarterback instructor last week on Maui and now at Kapi'olani Park, giving back to the football community from which he came, marvels at the explosion in interest.

When the Palolo-raised Chow started recruiting his home state for Brigham Young in 1976 there were, he recalls, "maybe two or three schools recruiting here regularly." A Michigan State, Colorado might come in once in awhile on a selected player, of course, but the regulars were, pretty much, Hawai'i, BYU, Washington and, maybe, Arizona State.

"It used to be a big deal to have two scholarship offers," Chow said.

Now, coaches tell you, it is like a swap meet. And the Saint Louis Alumni Clubhouse, the unofficial, off-hours gathering spot, has become practically a coaches' convention. Nor did it begin — and end — with Manti Te'o.

Perhaps the best illustration of how Hawai'i recruits are perceived — and the ferocity of the battle to win their services — is that head coaches, once scarce until January and the eve of letter of intent signing, are popping in. And not just with golf clubs in mind anymore.

Until recently, several of the local prospects who sought to put their talents on display had to go to Mainland camps. Those that could afford the considerable airfare and expenses, anyway.

But no longer. From Game Plan Football, to UH coach Greg McMackin's camps to "Just Win" and All-Poly, the showcases now abound.

And, so, too, does the traffic in coaches and talent evaluators.