For Immediate Release: May 26, 2004
DBEDT Release News 04-16

HONOLULU - Out-of-state cruise visitors to Hawaii during first quarter 2004 spent an average of $105 per person on a daily basis while on shore, up from $90 per person in the same period last year, according to data released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

Twenty-two cruise ships arrived in first quarter 2004 with 50,349 out-of-state visitors on board, including those who arrived by air to embark on these ships and those who came with the ships. During the first quarter of 2003, the state saw 20 cruise ships arrive with 61,399 out-of-state visitors. Visitor days for out-of-state cruise visitor were off by 17.8 percent.

The dip in cruise visitor days was primarily due to several smaller ships with less passenger capacity that toured the islands in the first quarter. In addition, there was only one Hawaii-home ported ship compared to two Hawaii-based cruise ships in first quarter 2003. It is typical for cruise lines to reposition their ships and alternate their cruise schedules periodically causing cruise visitor numbers to fluctuate in some months.

"Hawaii's cruise industry remains strong and we are especially pleased by the increase in average daily spending," said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "We are also happy to see that more luxury cruise ships are touring our islands such as the Crystal Cruise line ships that contributed to the higher daily spending."

Cruise visitors accounted for 3.1 percent of the state's total visitors in the first quarter 2004. Nearly 60 percent of the cruise visitors also stayed in hotels, 7 percent stayed in condominiums and 6.5 percent stayed in timeshare properties before or after their cruise.

Additional Highlights on First Quarter 2004 Out-of-State Cruise Visitors are presented below:

• Point of Origin: Of the 50,349 out-of-state visitors aboard cruise ships in the islands, about 54 percent were from the U.S. East. The second largest group of cruise visitors was from the U.S. West (23.0%), followed by those from Canada (8.9%), Europe (2.3%) and All Other markets (11.5%).
• Island Visitation: The cruise routes took these visitors to most of the neighbor islands. All visited Oahu, 95.6 percent visited Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in the first quarter of 2004. Though the ships did not make port calls on Molokai and Lanai, some visitors also visited these two islands before or after their cruise.
• First Time/Repeat Visitors: Nearly 60 percent of the cruise visitors have been to the islands before compared to 59.2 percent in first quarter 2003. Repeat visitors comprised the majority of the visitors from the U.S. West and Canada. In contrast there were more first time visitors from Europe and the U.S. East than repeat visitors.
• Total Length of Stay: The average length of stay spent aboard a ship touring the islands was 4.37 days, in addition to the 1.27 days spent on shore after the cruise was over. Visitors who arrived in Hawaii by air stayed an average of 1.51 days in Hawaii before their cruise.
• Length of Stay by Major Markets: Visitors from U.S. East and Canada who cruised the islands during the first quarter 2004 stayed longer than those who came in the previous year.

  Of the four major market areas, Canadian visitors stayed the longest at 8.77 total days, followed by European visitors (8.05 days), U.S. West visitors (7.21 days), and U.S. East visitors (6.87 days).

• Percent of Visitors who Reported On-Shore Purchases: The majority (80.3%) of the out-of-state cruise visitors surveyed went on shore tours while in Hawaii. The percentage of shore tour participants from the U.S. West, U.S. East and Canadian cruise visitors in the first quarter 2004 was higher compared to the same period last year. Cruise visitors from the U.S. East reported the largest percentage of shore tour participants (85.7%) followed by cruise visitors from Canada (75.9%), The U.S. West (74.9%) and Europe (62.5%). U.S. West, U.S. East, Canadian and European visitors surveyed indicated a higher percentage of shore tour participation while in Kauai and on the Hilo side of the Big Island.

  Shopping is another popular activity with out-of-state cruise visitors from Canada (85.6%), the U.S. West (79.8%), the U.S. East (76.8%) and Europe (78.8%). Over 45 percent of the U.S. West, U.S. East, Canadian and European cruise visitors bought fashion and clothing and souvenirs. Over 38 percent purchased Hawaii food products.

• Total Average Daily Cruise Visitor Expenditures: The average daily spending by out-of-state cruise visitors while on shore in Hawaii rose to $105 per person. This amount is comprised of tour costs and other on-land expenditures such as lodging, food and beverages, entertainment, shopping, transportation and souvenirs.
• Daily Cruise Visitor Spending by Major Markets: Visitors from the U.S. West, U.S. East, Canada, and Europe spent more compared to those who came during first quarter 2003. The average daily spending by those from The U.S. East was the highest at $112 per person, followed by visitors from Canada ($106 per person), Europe ($100 per person) and the U.S. West ($87 per person).

  U.S. West, U.S. East and European cruise visitors spent more on shore tours than on shopping and food and beverages in first quarter 2004. In contrast, European cruise visitors surveyed spent almost the same amount on shore tours and food and beverages.

  Total Cruise Visitor Expenditures: Out-of-state cruise visitors spent a total of $38.1 million during first quarter 2004. Cruise visitors from the U.S. East were the largest contributor at $21.0 million, followed by those from the U.S. West ($7.2 million), Canada ($4.2 million) and Europe ($951 thousand).

Technical Note: Due to their small sample size, separate cruise visitor characteristics and expenditure data for other markets were combined in the Other market category.

A total of 1,487 Hawaii residents boarded cruise ships touring the islands during the first quarter 2004, 57.1 percent higher than the same period last year.

The average length of cruise by Hawaii residents was 4.07 days. The majority (68.1%) of the residents cruise the islands for leisure, 27.8 percent visited friends or relatives, 2.7 percent played golf, 3.0 percent were on business and 1.6 percent was on their honeymoon.

Resident cruise passengers spend a total of $274 thousand during first quarter 2004. Daily spending was $45 per person, less than half the total spent by out-of-state cruise visitors. Of this amount, $14 per person per day was spent on shopping and $3 per person on food and beverage.

For more information, contact:
Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov