Easter revival
POSTED: Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Bolstered by spring break, improved air access and Easter, Hawaii's tourism market saw jumps in visitor arrivals and spending in all major markets.
There were 607,709 visitors who visited the islands last month, a 9.3 percent increase from the prior year's March, according to figures from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Air arrivals from Canada were up 17.3 percent, while arrivals rose 9.2 percent from the U.S. West, 7.9 percent from the U.S. East and 6.5 percent from Japan.
The visitors who came by air spent about $874 million, which equated to a 12.7 percent increase from March 2009. The spending increase was the largest since April 2006 and was due to an increase in arrivals.
For the first quarter, total spending by air visitors grew by $130.1 million to $2.7 billion, 5 percent higher than last year's first quarter.
![;[Preview]](./%3Bhttp:/media.starbulletin.com/images/video_front.gif.html)
Visitors Create More Local Jobs![;[Preview]](./%3Bhttp:/media.starbulletin.com/images/20100428_KITVvisitors.jpg.html)
Although the number of jobs are still lower compared to last year, the trend is going back up, instead of down.
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| VISITOR ARRIVALS
Number of visitors arriving in Hawaii in March with the percentage change from the same month last year:
* Includes ship arrivals
Source: Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
|
Even the neighbor islands, which were hit the hardest during the recent tourism downturn, improved last month. There was increased activity, especially on Maui, as a result of increased direct flights and air seats from regional airports on the West Coast and Canada, said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
For the quarter ended March 31, Hawaii's total arrivals from air and cruise ships rose 4.1 percent.
The numbers are improvements from an “;especially depressed 2009,”; McCartney said. He said the industry must keep up the momentum, particularly since April and May are slower months. “;We cannot let up and must continue to work even harder to drive demand to fill the additional seats we have attracted into the market,”; he said.
State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said jumps in international markets were encouraging and must be nurtured. During the first quarter, arrivals from South Korea and China increased 90.8 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively.
“;Unlike 74.9 percent of our mainland visitors and 82.8 percent of the visitors from the U.S. West who were repeat guests to our islands in the first quarter, visitors from new developing markets tend to be first-timers and spend more on a per-person, per-day basis compared to other market segments,”; Wienert said.
McCartney said South Korean arrivals were helped by pent-up demand, a rebounding economy, the visa waiver program and aggressive marketing efforts in the country.
Keith Vieira, senior vice president of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia, said he has seen an increase in arrivals, with better hotel occupancy this year, and that it is “;hard to fathom”; a dramatic increase in spending per visitor.
“;There is a correlation between the rates people pay and the amount that people spend per day,”; Vieira said. “;People who pay lower rates or who are getting specials spend less on their vacation, and we have not seen that trend change.”;
Room rates were discounted throughout last year. The lower prices are expected to continue throughout this year, according to local economic analysis. Returning demand might later support higher prices and spending, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization's annual forecast released last month.
“;We're not complaining, though,”; Vieira said. “;We understand that we have to grow arrivals before you can get the higher-spending guests.”;
| MONTHLY TRENDS
The monthly total arrivals and percentage change in visitors to Hawaii.
Source: Hawaii Tourism Authority |
