FEWER VISITORS
Hawaii visitor count drops 7.4% in May
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The number of visitors arriving in the Islands fell more than 7 percent in May and visitor spending declined for the first time in more than a year — more fallout from the recent shutdown of two airlines and the exit of two of three cruise ships based in Hawai'i.
The number of visitors arriving by both air and cruise ship last month dropped 7.4 percent to 554,399, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Spending by those who came by air — the vast majority of visitors — fell to $887.8 million, a 2.9 percent decline from May 2007. It was the first decline since April 2007, when visitor spending fell 1.9 percent. State economists are forecasting visitor arrivals to fall 3 percent this year, with spending rising 0.5 percent.
"It's harder to get here these days," said Ina Mohr, of Surfside Beach, Texas, who was vacationing on O'ahu this week, her third trip to Hawa'i. Mohr said higher prices and fewer flights have made it more difficult to make the trip.
"It's harder to get anywhere," she added.
Hawai'i's No. 1 industry has been hit by a string of setbacks this year. They include:
The state has stepped up its marketing to counter the bad news. State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert expressed hope the increased marketing efforts "in our base market, U.S. West, will help stimulate demand for summer travel."
Wienert said, "May statistics are better than anticipated especially since it is the first month to report the effects of the loss of two home-ported cruise ships and increased airfares."
The state is also looking optimistically at the potential for two smaller visitor markets that are on the rise, Wienert said.
"We continue to be pleased with the performance of the Canada and other Asia markets and anticipate further growth especially in the China market because Chinese are now able to visit the U.S. as leisure group travelers," Wienert said.
The first group of Chinese leisure travelers under a new agreement between the U.S. and China are visiting Hawai'i this week.
DAILY SPENDING UP
Visitors who do come to the Islands are spending more, but not enough to make up for the drop in number of visitors.
Daily spending was $185 per person, compared with $179 per person in May 2007. Total spending by those who arrived by air — nearly all visitors — was $887.8 million last month, down 2.9 percent, or $26.7 million, from the same month last year.
In May, visitors spent less time in the Islands — total visitor days for air and cruise visitors decreased 6.9 percent compared with May 2007.
Among the top four visitor markets, arrivals fell 12.7 percent from the U.S. West, 7.7 percent from the U.S. East and 6.2 percent from Japan. Arrivals from Canada rose 13.7 percent.
Visitors arriving by cruise ship dropped to 5,382 in May, down from 12,485 in May 2007.
Gayle and Clint Anderson, of Auburn, Ala., flew here Sunday for a weeklong honeymoon. Even with prices rising and travel choices dwindling, Gayle said they had their hearts set on a Hawai'i honeymoon.
"The first thing that we did was book this," she said.
The pair looked relaxed, tan and happy as they watched a lunchtime dolphin show yesterday at Sea Life Park. They had already visited Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay and Waikiki Beach — "everything we can squeeze in" and even Schofield Barracks, where Clint was stationed. He is retiring from the Army this month.
MORE CANADIAN VISITORS
Some other report highlights include:
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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