Isle tourism
dropped 4%
in August

The figures indicate that
Hawaii may have lost
$12 million in
visitor spending

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Still hurting from Asia's economic woes, Hawaii's tourist business slipped again in August with a 4 percent drop in overall arrivals compared with August 1997.

Eastbound arrivals, dominated by the Japanese, were down 10.6 percent and westbound arrivals were up only 0.6 percent, according to figures issued today by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau and the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. Hawaii had 613,740 visitors last month, compared with 639,380 in August 1997.

Both westbound and eastbound tourists stayed longer than they did last year, giving them more opportunity to spend money, and that was "good news for Hawaii's hotels and retail outlets," said Seiji Naya, DBEDT director.

However, a rough estimate based on the latest visitor spending statistics -- from a 1997 survey -- shows that total August spending likely was down by about $12 million.

Travelers from the Asia-Pacific area this August stayed 1.5 million visitor days. (One tourist staying one day equals one visitor day.) Based on the 1997 Asia-Pacific visitor spending estimate of $247 per person per day, the August tally indicates they spent about $371 million while here. That's a drop of $29 million, or 7 percent, from the $400 million that 1.62 million eastbound visitor days generated in August 1997.

Westbound visitors, here for 3.69 million visitor days in August, spent an estimated $609 million, based on the 1997 survey's finding of $165 a day in average westbound spending. The August 1997 estimate for westbound spending works out at $592 million, from 3.59 million visitor days. That would mean an August 1998 increase of $17 million, or 3 percent, in spending by westbound travelers, not enough to wipe out the eastbound drop.

Of course, these are only estimates and visitor spending habits may have changed since 1997. Still, reports from the tourism industry confirm August was a bad month. Hotel occupancy fell 3 percentage points during the month and a tourist attraction association said attendance was down 5.5 percent.

Naya said healthy increases in mainland arrivals in June and July carried into August, with arrivals from the mainland up 5.1 percent from the August 1997 level. "The U.S. market continues to be the bright spot for Hawaii's visitor industry."