For Immediate Release: August 30, 2005
DBEDT Release News 05-26

Note: July 2005 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

HONOLULU - Total expenditures by visitors who came in July 2005 rose 11.2 percent to $1.2 billion, according to data released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

Contributing to the higher spending was an 8.4 percent growth in total visitor days, thanks to continued increases in international visitors and record domestic arrivals which boosted total arrivals to a new July best of 736,820 visitors.

The average daily spending was also higher at $169 per person, compared to $164 per person in July 2004.

Of the total number of arrivals during the month, 22,725 visitors flew to the islands to board Hawaii home-ported cruise ships, up 57 percent from July 2004. There were no out-of-state cruise ships visiting the islands in July 2005. Cruise visitor days climbed 55.7 percent on a year-to-date basis.

On a year-to-date basis, total visitor expenditures surpassed the same period last year by 7.5 percent to $6.6 billion, while total visitor days were up 7.3 percent. Total arrivals increased 7.1 percent to reach 4,324,139 visitors, the best result on record for the first seven months of any year.

We are very pleased with July's extraordinary performance, especially from the domestic market" said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "Norwegian Cruise Lines new home ported Pride of America as well as the Pride of Aloha contributed to the increased visitor arrivals as cruise visitors, who arrived by air, increased 57% compared to last year. All indicators continue to show that our visitor industry is poised to have the best year ever."

Total Air Visitors: Air visitors spent a total of $6.6 billion during the first seven months of 2005, 7.5 percent higher compared to the same period last year with increases from all four major visitor markets (U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan and Canada).

Year-to-date visitor spending on Oahu totaled $3.2 billion (+5.6%), followed by Maui at $1.8 billion (+4.8%), the Big Island at $893.5 million (+24.5%) and Kauai at $673.9 million (+5.5%).

Contributing to the growth in total visitor expenditures was a 7.3 percent increase in total visitor days, supported by record high total arrivals of 4,324,139 visitors to date. The average length of stay by these visitors was 9.17 days.

Visitor arrivals rose on the Big Island (+16.8%), Oahu (+7.5%), Maui (+2.7%), Molokai (+2.6%) and Kauai (+2.5%) compared to the same period last year.

A greater number of visitors came to vacation (+7.7%), honeymoon (+12%), visit friends or relatives (+7.1%) and for meetings, conventions and incentives (+15.4%).

Repeat visitors accounted for 62.3 percent of the total visitors to Hawaii, unchanged from year-to-date 2004.

• Domestic air visitors: Domestic visitor days rose 7.4 percent as arrivals increased 6.9 percent to 3,097,854 visitors, a new record for the first seven months of the year. The average length of stay was 9.98 days up from 9.93 days in year-to-date 2004.

  The number of U.S. visitors, which comprised 92.3 percent of total domestic arrivals, was 7 percent higher compared to the same period last year with increases from all U.S. regions. Total domestic arrivals include U.S. residents and international visitors who came to Hawaii on domestic flights.

• International air visitors: International visitor days increased 6.9 percent due to a 7.7 percent growth in arrivals to 1,226,285 visitors. The average length of stay was 7.13 days.

• Air visitors from the top four major market areas (MMAs):

  U.S. West: Total spending by U.S. West visitors grew 8 percent compared to year-to-date 2004, to $2.4 billion, the highest among the four major visitor markets. The average daily spending was $145 per person. Visitor days for this group rose 7.5 percent, as arrivals increased 7.7 percent to 1,715,167 visitors. The average length of stay was virtually unchanged from year-to-date 2004 at 9.57 days. More of these visitors came to vacation, visit friends or relatives, and for conventions, corporate meetings and incentives compared to the same period last year.

  U.S. East: Total spending by U.S. East visitors totaled $2.2 billion, 9.6 percent higher compared to the same period last year. This group of visitors spent an average of $173 per person per day, the second highest among the top four visitor markets.

  U.S. East visitor days grew 6.1 percent compared to the first seven months of 2004. Contributing to the increase was a 4.9 percent growth in arrivals to 1,194,763 visitors. The average length of stay was 10.38 days. Similar to their U.S. West counterpart, more U.S. East visitors came to vacation, visit friends or relatives and attend corporate meetings.

  Japan: Total spending by Japanese visitors surpassed year-to-date 2004 levels by 1.6 percent to $1.2 billion. While ranking third in total expenditures, Japanese visitors spent the most on a daily basis at $246 per person. Japanese visitor days rose 4.1 percent, boosted by arrivals which increased 6 percent to 862,092 visitors. The average length of stay by these visitors was 5.68 days. More Japanese visitors came to vacation, honeymoon and for conventions and incentives compared to the same period last year.

Canada: Total expenditures and average daily spending by Canadian visitors ranked fourth among the top four major visitor markets at $249.9 million (+10.7%) and $126 per person, respectively. Canadian visitor days rose 12.4 percent due to a 10.3 percent growth in arrivals to 148,778 visitors in the first seven months of 2005. The average length of stay was 13.37 days.
• Per person per trip expenditures by MMA:

  Year-to-date U.S. East visitors spent the most per trip at $1,800 per person, followed by visitors from Canada ($1,680 per person), from All Other markets ($1,561 per person), Japan ($1,398 per person) and the U.S. West ($1,391 per person).

Total cruise visitor days jumped 55.7 percent during the first seven months of 2005. Contributing to this increase was a 34.6 percent growth in out-of-state visitors to 151,164 passengers, including those who arrived by air to board cruise ships and those who came with the ships. These visitors were aboard 30 out-of-state cruise ships including the foreign flagged Norwegian Wind. In addition there were two U.S. flagged ships home ported in Hawaii, the Pride of Aloha and the newly added Pride of America which began inter-island cruises in mid July 2005.

In year-to-date 2004, there were 36 out-of-state cruise ships including the foreign flagged Norwegian Star which toured the islands from January to April 2004 and the Norwegian Wind which came in May 2004. In addition the U.S. flagged Pride of Aloha began touring the islands in July 2004.

Repeat visitors to Hawaii comprised 53.7 percent of the out-of-state cruise visitors, compared to 57.6 percent in year-to-date 2004. These cruise visitors stayed an average of 8.90 days in Hawaii, of which 5.82 days were spent on their cruise and another 3.08 days were spent before and after their cruise.

Technical Notes: 2004 air visitor data presented in this press release are the final 2004 numbers. Detailed final statistics are published in the 2004 Annual Visitor Research Report.

2005 expenditure data for the seven months of the year have been revised to reflect the inclusion of inter island air faire costs in order to compare 2005 to final 2004 statistics. In addition, total spending (on-ship and on-shore) by passengers touring the islands on Hawaii home ported ships has also been included as has on-shore spending by passengers on foreign ships.

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