For Immediate Release: October 30, 2008
DBEDT News Release 08-35

Note: Year-to-Date 3rd Quarter 2008 Arrival Data for Developing International Markets are at: http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/visitor-stats/dims.

HONOLULU--The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) today released arrival statistics for the developing international visitor markets: Oceania, Europe, Other Asia and Latin America for the first three quarters of 2008.

Through the first three quarters of 2008, combined arrivals by air from these developing international markets totaled 305,922 visitors, 5.9 percent of the total visitor count of 5,169,845. In contrast to the 19.3 percent decline in total air visitors for the first nine months of 2008, the developing international markets showed only a 1.1 percent decrease from the same period in 2007.

"The developing international markets have great potential for growth," said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "The European market is performing nicely with a 7.6 percent increase in visitors through the third quarter 2008. The Other Asia market, which includes China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, also performed well with an 11.1 percent growth in the first quarter of 2008. The decline of 15 percent in the third quarter could have been because of the 2008 Olympic Games and the devastating earthquake in China. With the easing of travel barriers for Chinese visitors and visa waiver being granted for South Korea, we anticipate a doubling of arrivals and spending from the Other Asia market within the next few years," Wienert added.

• Arrivals by European visitors (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland) have recovered from the decline in year-to-date 2006. Through September 2008 a total of 87,734 European visitors came to the islands, up 7.6 percent from the same period last year and surpassing the previous high in 2004. Arrivals were steady during the first quarter, and increased in the second (+7.7%) and third quarter (+12.1%) compared to the same quarters in 2007.
• Arrivals from Other Asia (China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan) showed steady increases from year-to-date 2003 through 2007. For the first three quarters of 2008, arrivals from this market totaled 86,860 visitors. Strong growth in the first quarter (+11.1%) was offset by a 1.4 percent decrease in the second quarter and a 15 percent decline in the third quarter 2008.
• The number of visitors from Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico) has been increasing since 2004. For the first three quarter of 2008 arrivals declined 2.4 percent from year-to-date 2007 to 14,117 visitors with strong growth in the first quarter but decreases in the second and third quarter of 2008.

Note: Arrival statistics from Developing International Markets will be updated more frequently going forward, due to data resources that were not previously available. The full table showing Developing International Markets visitor arrival statistics by quarter and by country through September 2008 are available on the DBEDT website at: http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/visitor-stats/dims

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

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