For Immediate Release: September 28, 2006
DBEDT Release News 06-26

Note: August 2006 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

Visitors Spent $8.1 Billion in First Eight Months of Year
Domestic Arrivals Set New August Record

HONOLULU--Higher average daily spending (+6.5%) by visitors in August 2006 contributed to a 3.5 percent growth in total visitor expenditures to $1.1 billion, according to preliminary data released by the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) today. Year-to-date, total visitor expenditures rose 4.5 percent to $8.1 billion.

Domestic arrivals continued to increase, rising .7 percent to 512,631 visitors, a new record for the month of August. International arrivals were 6.2 percent lower compared to August 2005, causing a 1.2 percent drop in total arrivals for the month. The slight decrease in total visitor arrivals resulted in a decrease of 2.9 percent in total visitor days for the month.

"The domestic market continues to be the foundation for the visitor industry's success," said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "We are very pleased with the continued growth in visitor spending and tourism's impact on the state's economy."

For the first eight months of 2006, both total visitor days and total arrivals exceeded results attained in the same period last year by .1 percent. Domestic arrivals increased 2.2 percent to a new eight-month record of 3,734,397 visitors while international arrivals dropped 5.4 percent. Arrivals from Canada increased 9.5 percent but Japanese arrivals decreased by 8.6 percent compared to year-to-date 2005.

Among the islands visited, the Big Island (+6.3%) and Kauai (+5.9%) realized increased visitor arrivals. Total visitor expenditures increased on Maui (+9.1%), Kauai (+8.1%) and the Big Island (+4.5%).

Of the total number of visitors in August 2006, 27,436 visitors flew to the state to board cruise ships in Hawaii, a 15.6 percent increase from the same month last year. Cruise visitor days in August 2006 and for year-to-date 2006 grew 24.4 percent and 39.8 percent, respectively.

Year-to-date 2006 preliminary visitor statistics:

• Total visitor expenditures: Visitors spent a total of $8.1 billion in the first eight months of 2006, up 4.5 percent compared to the same period last year, with increases from the U.S. West, U.S. East and Canadian visitor markets. Total visitor spending by Japanese visitors decreased 3.8 percent.

  Year-to-date visitor spending on Oahu totaled $3.7 billion (-.7%), followed by Maui at $2.4 billion (+14.9%), the Big Island at $1.1 billion (-2.9%) and Kauai at $831.5 million (+9.9%).

• Total air visitors: Total visitor days increased slightly by .1 percent, supported by higher arrivals from the domestic market. The average length of stay by all visitors of 9.17 days was similar to the same time last year.

  Visitor arrivals were higher on Lanai (+11.5%), Kauai (+8.3%), the Big Island (+5.8%), Molokai (+5.3%) and Maui (+4.7%) compared to the same period last year.

  A greater number of visitors came to vacation (+1.1%), for meetings (+5.9%), incentives (+5.9%) and other business (+2.2%).

  Repeat visitors accounted for 63.6 percent of the total visitors to Hawaii, versus 62.9 percent for year-to-date 2005.

• Domestic air visitors: Domestic visitor days rose 1.6 percent as arrivals increased 2.2 percent to 3,734,397 visitors, a new record of domestic visitors for the first eight months of any year. The average length of stay was slightly shorter at 9.86 days compared to 9.92 days in year-to-date 2005.

  The number of U.S. visitors, which accounted for 92.3 percent of total domestic arrivals to date, was 2.2 percent higher compared to the same period last year with increases from the Mountain, West South Central, South Atlantic, West North Central, and Pacific regions. Total domestic arrivals include continental U.S. residents and international visitors who came to Hawaii on domestic flights.

• International air visitors: International visitor days fell (-5.4%), due to a 5.4 percent decrease in arrivals to 1,317,668 visitors. The average length of stay remained constant at 7.22 days.

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

  U.S. West: Total spending by U.S. West visitors reached $3.1 billion, 9.9 percent higher than year-to-date 2005. This group of visitors spent an average of $155 per person per day, a 7.1 percent increase from the same period last year.

  U.S. West arrivals rose 3.7 percent to 2,142,117 visitors for the first eight months of 2006 and contributed to a 2.6 percent increase in U.S. West visitor days. The average length of stay by these visitors was 9.41 days, slightly lower than 9.51 days one year ago.

  U.S. East: Total spending by U.S. East visitors increased .9 percent compared to the first eight months of 2005, to $2.5 billion, the second highest among the four major visitor markets. The average daily spending was $178 per person per day, the second highest among the top four visitor markets.

  U.S. East visitor days decreased (-1.1%) compared to year-to-date 2005, due to a small drop in arrivals (-.6%) to 1,361,991 visitors and a slightly shorter average length of stay (from 10.30 days to 10.35 days). A higher number of U.S. East visitors came to honeymoon, for conventions and for other business compared to the same period last year.

Japan: Japanese visitors spent a total of $1.4 billion in the first eight months of 2006, 3.8 percent lower compared to the same period last year. Japanese visitors continued to spend the most on a daily basis at $265 per person, an increase of 7.3 percent.

Japanese visitor days decreased 10.3 percent, year-to-date, due to an 8.6 percent drop in visitor arrivals to 915,745 visitors and a decrease of 1.9 percent in the average length of stay to 5.67 days.

Canada: Even though year-to-date average daily spending by Canadian visitors ranked last among the top four major visitor markets at $134 per person per day, total expenditures rose 13 percent to $325 million in the first eight months of 2006.

Canadian visitor days increased 12.5 percent, boosted by a 9.5 percent growth in arrivals to 181,496 visitors. The average length of stay was the longest among the top four visitor markets, at 13.37 days, up from 13.02 days in year-to-date 2005.

• Per person per trip expenditures by MMA:

  In the first eight months of 2006, U.S. East visitors spent the most per trip ($1,828 per person), followed by visitors from Canada ($1,790 per person), Japan ($1,504 per person) and the U.S. West ($1,454 per person).

Year-to-date 2006 Preliminary Cruise Visitor Statistics:

Total cruise visitor days rose 39.8 percent in the first eight months of 2006. Contributing to this increase was a 37 percent growth in cruise visitors to 243,169 visitors, including those who arrived by air to board cruise ships and those who came on the ships. These visitors were aboard 33 cruise ships including three U.S. flagged ships home ported in Hawaii, the Pride of Aloha, the Pride of Hawaii and the Pride of America.

Repeat visitors to Hawaii comprised 56.8 percent of out-of-state cruise visitors, compared to 52.6 percent in the same period last year. These cruise visitors stayed an average of 9.79 days in Hawaii, of which 6.34 days were spent on their cruise.

Technical Notes: 2005 air visitor data presented in this news release are the final 2005 numbers. Detailed final statistics are published in the 2005 Annual Visitor Research Report, available at the DBEDT website: www.hawaii.gov/dbedt.

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