For Immediate Release: June 25, 2009
DBEDT News Release 09-18

May 2009 Visitor Expendituers Decreased 15 Percent

Note: May 2009 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

HONOLULU—Total air visitor spending for the month of May 2009 fell 15 percent or $133 million, from May 2008, to $754.8 million. Total expenditures by visitors who came by air in the first five months of 2009 was $4.1 billion, 16.4 percent lower compared to year-to-date 2008, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

The decrease in total visitor expenditures for May 2009 resulted from lower average daily visitor spending ($165 per person, down from $185 per person in May 2008) and a 6.4 percent decline in visitor arrivals by air to 514,004 visitors.

Total visitor days for air and cruise visitors in May 2009 were down 5.4 percent from the same month last year due to a 6.9 percent reduction in total arrivals by air and cruise ships to 516,204 visitors. The average length of stay by these visitors was 8.90 days, similar to 8.76 days in May 2008.

Among the top four visitor markets, May 2009 air arrivals from the U.S. West rose 4 percent from last May, the first increase since February 2008 (+1%). Air arrivals from the U.S. East fell 8.9 percent, Japan dropped 15.5 percent and arrivals by air from Canada decreased 12.4 percent, the biggest drop in arrivals for the Canadian market since April 2004 (-13.3%).

"May's visitor statistics continue to reflect global economic challenges that are affecting Hawai‘i. Additionally, concerns over the H1N1 flu virus has impacted visitor arrivals and caused a double-digit decrease in visitor from Japan," said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert.

"On a positive note, visitor arrivals from the Pacific states, Hawaii's largest source of visitors, rose 5.4 percent compared to May 2008. California arrivals increased 1.9 percent, Oregon 1.6 percent and Washington state arrivals grew by 18.5 percent."

"Hawai‘i's visitor industry is continuing to compete for travelers through very attractive package pricing which is helping to encourage travel to the islands as indicated by the increase in visitors from the Pacific states," added Wienert. "The health of Hawai‘i's visitor industry and our economy, moving forward, will be dependent on increasing visitor spending. Decreased spending is affecting our activities, restaurants and retail businesses as well as our accommodations."

For the first five months of 2009, total visitor days for air and cruise visitors dropped 9.2 percent. Total arrivals by air and cruise declined 10.3 percent from the same period last year to 2,663,179 visitors.

Year-to-date 2009 arrivals by air totaled 2,611,452 visitors, 10.5 percent fewer compared to a year ago. The average daily spending was $167 per person, down from $181 per person for the first five months of 2008.

• Arrivals from the Pacific, the largest regional market, rose 5.4 percent compared to May 2008, thanks to more visitors from California (+1.9%), Oregon (+1.6%) and Washington (+18.5%). Arrivals from all other regions were lower compared to last May. The largest decline was in the East South Central (-19.6%) region.
• More U.S. West visitors went to O‘ahu (+9.9%) as part of their trip to the islands compared to May 2008. An even higher number of U.S. West visitors stayed only on O‘ahu (+18.7%) or only on Kaua‘i (+7.7%) during their visit compared to the same time last year.
• A total of 9,971 visitors from the U.S. West came to honeymoon in May 2009, up 11.6 percent from last May.
• The average length of stay by U.S. West visitors was 8.97 days, compared to 9.09 days in May 2008.
• U.S. East arrivals to O‘ahu fell 6.5 percent and declined by double digits on all neighbor islands in May 2009. More U.S. East visitors stayed only on O‘ahu (+1.5%) or only on Kaua‘i (+4%) compared to last May.
• The percentage of repeat visitors from the U.S. East in May 2009 (52.4%) was higher than in May 2008 (50.8%).
• Daily spending by Japanese visitors averaged $263 per person, down from $285 per person in May 2008. Lower daily spending and decreased arrivals caused a 19.7 percent drop in total expenditures by Japanese visitors to $116.8 million in May 2009.
• Japanese arrivals in May 2009 was flat on Kaua‘i (-0.2%), was down 1.3 percent for Hawai‘i Island and declined by double digits for O‘ahu (-15.6%) and Maui (-14.8%) compared to a year ago.
• Japanese honeymooners rose slightly by 0.7 percent from May 2008 to 19,615 visitors. For the first five months of 2009, 89,926 Japanese visitors came to honeymoon in the islands, up 15.3 percent from year-to-date 2008. More Japanese visitors also came to get married in May 2009, up 7.6 percent to 4,790 visitors.
• There were also more repeat visitors from Japan in May 2009 than in the same month last year (57.4% versus 55.5%). Japanese visitors' length of stay rose to 5.70 days, from 5.53 days in May 2008.
• Significantly fewer Canadians visited multiple islands in May 2009, reflected in lower arrivals for O‘ahu (-14.7%), Maui (-21%), Hawai‘i Island (-20.4%) and Kaua‘i (-26.9%). More Canadian stayed exclusively on Kaua‘i (+44.8%) or on Hawai‘i Island (+5%) compared to last May.
• There were more repeat visitors from Canada in May 2009 (54.6%) than in May 2008 (51.6%). Canadian visitors' length of stay in May 2009 was 10.62 days, down from 11.09 days in the same month last year.

• All islands reported lower visitor expenditures this month compared to May 2008. Total visitor expenditures on O‘ahu declined 17 percent to $405.6 million. Total expenditures on Maui dropped 13.7 percent to $180.7 million; total visitor spending on Hawai‘i Island fell 15 percent to $78.1 million; while total visitor spending on Kaua‘i decreased 5.6 percent to $83 million.

• Among the major Hawaiian Islands, O‘ahu and Kaua‘i experienced growth in visitor days and visitor arrivals from the U.S. West while visitor days and arrivals from this market was flat on Hawai‘i Island compared to May 2008.

• Year-to-date, among the top four visitor markets, the U.S. East had the largest declines in visitor arrivals on each of the four major islands.
• Total air seats to Hawai‘i for May 2009 was unchanged compared to last May. Increases in seat capacity from Other Asia (+21.3%) and the U.S. West (+5.5%) balanced out fewer seats from Canada (-42%), Australia/New Zealand (-17.8%) and the U.S. East (-14.1%). There was no change in seat capacity from Japan from compared to May 2008.
• For the first five months of 2009, total air seats to Hawai‘i declined 11.4 percent due to decreases in seats from Canada (-23.2%), the U.S. East (-22%), Australia/New Zealand (-11.2%), the U.S. West (-11.1%) and Japan (-4.9%).

• A total of 13,265 cruise visitors came by air to board a cruise ship or arrived by cruise ship in May 2009, down 37.3 percent from the same month last year.
• The decline was due to fewer out-of-state cruise ships in May 2009. Only two out-of-state cruise ships brought 2,200 visitors to the islands. In May 2008, three out-of-state cruise ships brought 5,382 visitors here. Two out-of-state ships in May 2008 also had back-to-back tours where cruise passengers flew to the islands to board the second leg of the tours on these ships. There was also another back-to-back tour at the end of April 2008 where passengers from this ship flew to the islands in May for the second leg of the tour. There were no back-to-back tours for May 2009.

• The average length of stay by all cruise visitors during the month was 9.73 days.
• Year-to-date 2009, a total of 101,570 visitors came by cruise ship or by air to board cruise ships, 26.8 percent lower compared to the same period last year. Visitor days for all cruise visitors decreased 29.6 percent.
• Year-to-date, 51,727 visitors came by cruise ships, up slightly by 0.3 percent. However, total visitor days for those who came by cruise ships declined 1.4 percent due to a slightly shorter length of stay (See "Arrivals at a Glance" Table on page 2).

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