For Immediate Release: August 25, 2004
DBEDT Release News 04-26

Note: July 2004 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

Domestic Arrivals Best July Ever

HONOLULU--Strong growth in visitor arrivals from both the domestic and international markets contributed to a 4.8 percent increase in total visitor days for July 2004, according to data released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

Domestic arrivals by air continued to be exceptional, rising 7.2 percent to 504,692 visitors, the highest July result on record. International visitor arrivals surged 22.1 percent, thanks to double-digit growth in the number of Japanese and Canadian visitors. July 2004 was the fifth month of consecutive increases in international visitor arrivals to the state.

Additionally, total visitor expenditures rose 8.9 percent to $1 billion in July 2004 and increased 7.9 percent to $6.0 billion for the first seven months of 2004.

"We are very pleased with the growth in our visitor industry this year. Domestic arrivals continue to break all records and international arrivals continue to increase," said State Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert. "We were especially happy to welcome over 7,500 delegates and families of the National Association of Letter Carriers and almost 13,000 psychologists from the American Psychological Association to Hawaii for their conventions in July. These two events contributed to a 73.8 percent jump in the number of meetings, conventions and incentives visitors compared to July 2003."

Year-to-Date 2004 Visitor Statistics are presented below:

• Total air visitors: Total visitor days for the first seven months of 2004 rose 5.4 percent, compared to the same period last year to 37.1 million. The increase was due to a 9.6 percent growth in total arrivals to 4,032,800 visitors. The average length of stay by these visitors was 9.20 days.

• Domestic air visitors: Domestic visitor days surpassed year-to-date 2003 levels by 4.1 percent, due to growth in arrivals (+7.4%) that offset a shorter length of stay (9.94 days, compared to 10.26 days in year-to-date 2003). The number of U.S. visitors, which comprised 92.1 percent of total domestic arrivals was 6.3 percent higher compared to year-to-date 2003. Total domestic arrivals include U.S. residents and international visitors who came to Hawaii on domestic flights.

• International air visitors: International visitor days increased 10.4 percent due to a 15.3 percent growth in international arrivals to 1,143,868 visitors. Those who came during the first seven months of 2004 stayed an average of 7.34 days.

  Total repeat/first-time visitors: Repeat visitors comprised 61.7 percent of the total visitors to Hawaii compared to 62.9 percent for year-to-date 2003.

• Arrivals by Island: Visitor arrivals increased on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island compared to the same period last year.
• Purpose of trip: More visitors came to vacation (+10.4%), honeymoon (+13.1%), get married (+13.8%), visit friends or relatives (+8.6%) and for other business (+12.2%) compared to year-to-date 2003.
• Air visitors from the top four major market areas (MMAs):

  U.S. West: U.S. West visitor days were slightly up by 0.2 percent due to a 3.7 percent growth in arrivals to 1,581,060 visitors. The average length of stay was 9.60 days, compared to 9.93 days in year-to-date 2003. More of these visitors came to vacation, honeymoon, get married, and visit friends or relatives compared to the same period last year.

U.S. East: Growth in arrivals from the U.S. East (+10.8% to 1,136,047 visitors) contributed to a 7.3 percent growth visitor days compared to year-to-date 2003. The average length of stay was 10.27 days. Similar to their U.S. West counterpart, more U.S. East visitors came to honeymoon, get married, vacation and visit friends or relatives.

Japan: Japanese visitor days rose 17.1 percent as a total of 808,399 visitors came during the first seven months of 2004, up 19.3 percent from the same period last year. The average length of stay by these visitors was 5.77 days. More Japanese visitors came to vacation, get married, honeymoon, for meetings, conventions and incentives, and to visit friends and relatives compared to year-to-date 2003. Repeat visitors comprised 54.3 percent of the total, compared to 53.8 percent in the same period last year.

Canada: Canadian visitor days were 0.9 percent lower compared to the first seven months of 2003. A total of 133,720 Canadian visitors came to the islands, down 1.1 percent. The average length of stay was 13.49 days.

• Cruise visitors: There was a total of 39 cruise ship arrivals year-to-date, carrying 112,289 out-of-state visitors, including those who arrived by air to board these ships and those who came with the ships. This was 22.1 percent below the same period last year, which saw 44 cruise ship arrivals and 144,204 passengers.

  The decrease in cruise visitors was mainly due to a shift in scheduling, which brought fewer out-of-state cruise ships with less passenger capacity to the islands in the first seven months of 2004. Additionally, the Norwegian Star was the only Hawaii-home ported ship in the first four months of 2004, compared to the same period last year when both the Norwegian Star and the Norwegian Wind were based in Hawaii. In May 2004, the Norwegian Wind returned to Hawaii but the Norwegian Star departed.

  Included in this July's statistics is passenger count from the new Hawaii home based cruise ship the Pride of Aloha which began offering inter-island cruises in late June.

  Repeat visitors to the islands comprised 57.6 percent of the out-of-state cruise visitors during year-to-date 2004, compared to 58.8 percent in the same period last year. These cruise visitors stayed an average of 7.7 days in Hawaii, of which 5.00 days were spent on their cruise and another 2.70 days were spent before and after their cruise.

• Total visitor expenditures: Total expenditures by visitors who came by air in July 2004 increased 8.9 percent from the same month last year to $1.0 billion. Total spending by U.S. West visitors was the highest at $377.5 million (-5.4%), followed by visitors from the U.S. East at $324.1 million (+18.1%), Japan at $177.4 million (+28.5%) and Canada at $15.3 million (+24.0%).

  By island, visitor spending on Oahu totaled $506.8 million (+26.5%). Spending by visitors on Maui was second at $275.6 million (-8.5%), followed by visitor spending on the Big Island (-2.6% to $110.2 million), Kauai (+5.5% to $103.9 million), Lanai (-16.8% to $4.3 million) and Molokai (+0.4% to $2.3 million).

  Year-to-date, air visitors spent a total of $6 billion while in Hawaii. U.S. West visitors spent $2.1 billion (-0.4%), followed by visitors from the U.S. East (+10.9% to $1.9 billion), Japan (+22.9% to $1.2 billion) and Canada (-0.1% to $221.6 million). Visitors from All Other Major Market Areas (MMAs) spent $601.7 million (+8.3%) so far this year.

  For the first seven months of 2004, visitor spending on Oahu totaled $2.8 billion (+12.1%). Visitor spending on Maui was $1.8 billion (+1.0%), followed by the Big Island at $691.1 million (+3.6%), Kauai at $658.3 million (+17.8%), Lanai at $36.7 million (-12.8%) and Molokai at $15.7 million (-14.8%).

• Per person per day expenditures: Japanese visitors continued to spend the most on a daily basis at $225 per person in July 2004, followed by those from All Other MMAs ($169 per person), from the U.S. East ($162 per person), from the U.S. West ($136 per person) and from Canada ($111 per person).

  The average daily spending by Japanese visitors was $251 per person during the first seven months of 2004. Visitors from the U.S. East spent $160 per person, followed by visitors from All Other MMAs ($159 per person), the U.S. West ($140 per person) and from Canada ($123 per person).

• Per person per trip expenditures: Visitors from All Other MMAs spent the most per trip at $1,702 per person in July 2004, followed by those from the U.S. East at $1,653 per person, from Japan at $1,382 per person, from Canada at $1,351 per person and from the U.S. West at $1,332 per person.

  Year-to-date Canadian visitors spent $1,657 per person per trip, followed by visitors from the U.S. East ($1,639 per person), from All Other markets ($1,611 per person), Japan ($1,445 per person) and the U.S. West ($1,346 per person).

For more information, contact:
Marsha Wienert, Tourism Liaison
Phone: (808) 586-2362
Email: marsha.wienert@hawaii.gov

Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov