Visitor spending Hawaii visitor spending for 2001 fell 7.1 percent from 2000's total of $10.1 billion, according to year-end figures released yesterday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
falls 7 percent
Fewer arrivals drops the total,
but the average length of stay rises,
as does per-person spendingBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comThe drop in spending was largely due to lower visitor arrivals, down 9.1 percent to 6.31 million from 2000's record 6.95 million, the report said.
Even with fewer visitors, those who came to Hawaii stayed a little longer and spent slightly more. Visitor stays increased 2.6 percent to an average of 9.11 days and spending rose from $168 a day per visitor to $170.
"Despite some weakness in total expenditure and arrivals, the longer stays and higher daily spending are encouraging," said department Director Seiji Naya.
Per-person Japanese visitor spending remained almost flat in 2001 with a 0.2 percent increase over the previous year.
However, the Japanese continued to spend more per person compared with other segments of the market, averaging $235 per day. Daily spending by Japanese visitors increased after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to DBEDT, to $254 a day during the fourth quarter.
Those who spent the least included visitors from the U.S. West Coast, at $148 a person per day, U.S. East Coast at $164 a person and Canadians, who spent $161 per day. But Canadian per-person spending increased 10 percent for the year.
U.S. West Coast visitors made the largest contribution to the state's tourism-based economy, spending $3.5 billion, or 34.4 percent of total visitor expenditures. While the drop in arrivals from the U.S. West Coast was immediate after the attacks of Sept. 11, West Coast arrivals made a come back by the end of the year. As a result, for all of 2001 West Coast arrivals were off by 1.6 percent, at 2.39 million.
The Japanese market has not bounced back as quickly. Overall spending by Japanese visitors fell 10 percent in 2001 to $2.13 billion. Japanese visitor arrivals for the year were down 17 percent.
Canadian total spending also improved, moving up 4.9 percent to $474 million, as did European overall visitor spending, showing an 18.7 percent improvement.
Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism