The heavy competition posed to Hawaii's tourism industry by Caribbean cruises is turning out to have a silver lining for the growing isle cruise market. Isle cruises crack tough
East Coast marketStar-Bulletin Staff
The number of Hawaii cruise passengers increased 52 percent last year, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. U.S. East residents made up more than half of the out-of-state cruise market.
In contrast, the U.S. East market made up only one-quarter of Hawaii's overall airborne arrivals last year, and the market shrunk slightly from 2001.
Cruise ship companies have traditionally aimed their marketing efforts to entice Easterners and Midwesterners to sail the nearby Caribbean. Those same visitors are now cruising Hawaii in growing numbers.
A total of 242,144 passengers cruised the isles in 2002, the state said, although the cruise industry has put the estimate slightly higher. The number of ships that cruised here stayed about the same, at 27, although the number of tours rose to 133 from 121.
Nearly 97 percent of Hawaii cruise passengers were from out of state. Of those visitors, 55 percent came from the U.S. East, while 30 percent came from the U.S. West. The remainder were mainly from Canada and Europe. Cruise visitors made up less than 4 percent of Hawaii's total visitor count of 6.4 million people last year.
Hawaii air arrivals are dominated by the U.S. West.
The average cruise visitor spent $99 a day while on shore here last year, according to the state. About 59 percent of cruise visitors also stayed at a hotel, while 36 percent were here for a cruise only.
Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism