Gain in Japan
tourists spurs talk
of recovery

The total number of visitors
to Hawaii in August jumped
4.1% over last year

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii had 2 percent more tourists from Japan last month than in August 1998, prompting state officials to talk of a possible turnaround after years of slipping numbers from Japan.

Coupled with continuing strength in visitor traffic from the mainland, the Japanese increase helped boost total August tourism arrivals by 4.1 percent, compared with a year earlier.

Seiji Naya, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, said the improved figures from Japan were good news for Hawaii because they indicated the beginning of recovery in that critical market. "The better-than-expected performance in the Japanese economy and the rising value of the yen may have influenced Japanese travel to Hawaii," he said.

Despite the increase in numbers, however, the Japanese travelers' contribution to the economy may not have changed substantially because of shorter stays.

The DBEDT figures showed an average stay of 6.04 days among Japanese visitors in August, down 2 percent from 6.16 days in August 1998.

Overall, Hawaii had 638,300 visitor arrivals last month, an increase of 25,230 from 613,100 in August 1998.

Travel from other Asia-Pacific points was down, bringing the overall eastbound arrivals level down by 3.1 percent from the year-earlier month. Eastbound arrivals were down by 7,170 at 226,760, from 233,930 in August 1998. Within that category, Japanese arrivals totaled 182,250 last month, an increase of 3,600 from 178,650 a year ago. The booming mainland economy and the consumer confidence that came with it pushed westbound arrivals up 8.5 percent, to 411,570 last month from 379,170 a year earlier.

The average length of stay among westbound visitors, 9.74 days, was up 0.1 percent from 9.73 days in the previous August. Eastbound visitors, including Chinese, Australians and other Pacific-Asia residents as well as the Japanese, stayed an average of 6.04 days, down 3.7 percent from 6.27 days in the year-earlier month.

Among the individual islands, only Lanai and the Big Island showed a decrease in tourist arrivals.