Visitor spending on the rise in Kauai

LIHUE (AP) — Visitor spending in Kauai this year is up nearly 8 percent from the same point last year.

Tourists spent about $1.25 billion during the first nine months of the year, compared to $1.16 billion for the same period in 2015. The amount of money spent by Kauai tourists grew by nearly 23 percent in September, generating about $121 million for the island, The Garden Island reported.

There have been nearly 898,000 visitors in Kauai so far this year, up slightly from the same time in 2015. About 10 percent of those visitors came in September.

The growth in Kauai’s tourism sector comes as Hawaii set its fourth straight month of year-over-year increases in total visitor spending in September. Tourists spent $1.2 billion statewide that month, an increase of more than 10 percent from September 2015.

“A strong September highlighted by new records for the month in visitor arrivals and spending means the first three quarters of 2016 was the best ever for our tourism industry, and keeps Hawaii ahead of pace to set new annual records,” said George Szigeti, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. “This is welcome news for our state, as every business, resident and charitable organization benefits in one way or another by Hawaii having a successful tourism economy.”

Statewide average daily spending grew by about 4.6 percent to $203 per person in September when compared with the same month in 2015.

Szigeti said Hawaii’s tourism industry generated $1.24 billion in state tax revenue through the first nine months of the year, an increase of $43.6 million over last year.

“A bonus of our tourism industry’s success is the positive impact it has on Hawaii’s tax revenue base,” Szigeti said. “These are funds that are vital to the economic health of our state and help support government services essential to our quality of life.”