Visitor arrivals up: Big Island sees 4.2 percent increase, according to HTA

KAILUA-KONA ― Visitor arrivals to Hawaii Island increased 4.2 percent to 1.3 million visitors from January through October of this year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Spending on Hawaii Island remained stable at $1.6 billion, at 0.9 percent, as per person per day spending decreased by 3.2 percent.

Total arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands reached a new record for the month of October, with a 4.8 percent growth to 692,930 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released Monday by the HTA. Since March, total visitor counts have exceeded previous monthly records.

Statewide arrivals by air rose 3.9 percent to 674,699 visitors in October, while arrivals by cruise ships were up 52.7 percent to 18,231 visitors. Total visitor days increased 3.9 percent compared to October 2014.

Increases in arrivals by air from the U.S. West at 4.5 percent and U.S. East at 5.3 percent more than offset a 2 percent drop from Canada. Japanese arrivals were up 0.1 percent, similar to October 2014. Arrivals from all other markets rose 7.8 percent.

Although visitor counts surpassed October 2014, lower per person per day spending statewide led to a 2.2 percent decrease in total visitor expenditures to $1.2 billion. Among the top four visitor markets, visitor expenditures from the U.S. West were up 1.1 percent to $406.3 million and the U.S. East increased 1.8 percent to $268.1 million, but Japanese visitors’ expenditures declined 8.9 percent to $195.2 million and Canadian visitors also spent 21.5 percent less or $58 million.

All four larger Hawaiian Islands saw growth in arrivals compared to October 2014: Kauai saw a 7.9 percent increase; Oahu, 3 percent; Maui, 1.1 percent; and Hawaii Island, 0.6 percent.