Mainland arrivals
set recordLucrative travel from the
U.S. East increased 9.2%
More U.S. mainland visitors came to Hawaii in July than any previous July in state history, though overall visitor counts were flat compared with last year because of a 20.9 percent drop in Japanese arrivals.
Arrivals from U.S. cities grew 5 percent last month to 462,776, making up more than three-quarters of the total 607,946 visitor count. International arrivals fell 13.4 percent to 145,170 from 167,547 last year, according to data released this morning by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The Big Island was the only island that had an increase in total visitors in July, up 3 percent to 118,419 travelers. Maui arrivals slipped 1.7 percent to 209,532, and so did Kauai arrivals, to 95,855. Oahu arrivals were also down, but the 3.3 percent year-over-year decline is much improved from a 16.1 drop in May. Waikiki was hit hard following the war in Iraq by a 40 percent drop in Japanese tourists caused by a larger travel slump, though the state has fared better than other Japanese travel spots.
As it stands, Japanese arrivals made up just 16.2 percent of Hawaii's total arrivals in July. This month, Japanese visitor counts have continued to mend, but are not back to year-ago levels, according to preliminary state data.
Hawaii arrivals from the U.S. East, a highly sought segment of the market, increased 9.2 percent to 163,725 from 149,974 last year, with Maui and the Big Island seeing the largest improvement. U.S. East visitors spend more per trip in Hawaii than any other segment, $1,831.
Arrivals from the U.S. West, the state's largest market, increased 3.7 percent to 270,181 from 260,643 last year.
"Although international arrivals are still recovering, we are very pleased that domestic arrivals and visitor days have reached historical highs this July," said Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison. "This year more than 70 percent of our total visitors will come through the U.S. mainland, a phenomenon that has not been seen in 15 years. Since domestic visitors tend to stay longer in the islands, this may have a very positive impact on our hotel industry."
Total visitor spending in the first half of the year rose 1.8 percent to $878.1 million from $862.7 million last year, according to the most recent state data. Visitors this year have been staying 7.2 percent longer than last year, an average of about 9.9 days. Visitor days, the number of arrivals multiplied by the average length of trip, increased 6.9 percent in July.
Visitors from all of Hawaii's major markets spent more per trip in June than last year, with an overall 9 percent rise to $1,593 per trip, according to the most recent state data.
Of all Hawaii travelers in July, 36.8 percent were first timers, a slight decrease from the same month last year.
