For Immediate Release: June 22, 2004
DBEDT Release News 04-19

Note: May 2004 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

HONOLULU--Continued growth in domestic visitor arrivals, combined with another monthly surge in visitors from Japan, led to a 17 percent increase in total visitor arrivals in May 2004 compared to the same month last year. The data released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) is the latest indicator of the visitor industry's recovery and the overall strengthening of the state's economy.

Domestic arrivals by air increased 8.9 percent to 392,335 visitors for the month and represented the best May on record. Arrivals from Japan, which comprised over 70 percent of all international visitors, soared 54.3 percent.

Total visitor days numbered 4.7 million while the average length of stay by these visitors was 8.63 days.

"We are extremely pleased to see the impressive growth from the domestic market and the continued improvement in arrivals from Japan," said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "Our daily air passenger counts show that this year's Golden Week, which ran from April 26 through May 5th, brought in 51,312 passengers on flights from Japan, more than double the 25,309 passengers who came during Golden Week last year."

"Additionally, we are very happy to report that Hawaii is again ranked as the best honeymoon destination in the world according to a survey of 3,000 travel agents in Modern Bride magazine. More than 159,000 visitors honeymooned in the islands during the first five months of 2004, up 5.8 percent from the same period last year. There were also 58,000 couples who got married in Hawaii during this period, representing a 26.1 percent increase from year-to-date 2003."

Year-to-Date 2004 Visitor Statistics are presented below:

• Total air visitors: A total of 2,733,771 visitors came to the state during the first five months of 2004, representing a 9 percent increase from the same period last year. Total visitor days numbered 25.1 million while the average length of stay was 9.20 days.
• Domestic air visitors: Domestic arrivals rose 8.4 percent to 1,932,871 visitors. The average length of stay was 9.85 days. U.S. visitors, which comprised 92.2 percent of all domestic visitors (U.S. residents and international visitors on domestic flights), were 8.3 percent higher compared to year-to-date 2003.
• International air visitors: International arrivals totaled 800,900 visitors, up 10.4 percent from the same period last year. Those who came during the first five months of 2004 stayed an average of 7.62 days.
• Total repeat/first-time visitors: Repeat visitors comprised 62 percent of the total visitors to Hawaii compared to 62.9 percent in the same period last year.
• Arrivals by Island: Fewer visitors went to multiple islands in the first five months of 2004. Single-island visitation increased on Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island.

• Purpose of trip: More visitors came to vacation (+8.5%), honeymoon (+5.8%), get married (+26.1%), visit friends or relatives (+14.5%), attend sports events (+8%) and for other business (+13.3%) compared to year-to-date 2003.
• Air visitors from the top four major market areas (MMAs):

  U.S. West: A total of 1,040,108 visitors came to Hawaii from the U.S. West, representing a 7.4 percent growth from year-to-date 2003. More of these visitors came to vacation, honeymoon, get married, and visit friends or relatives compared to the same period last year.

U.S. East: Arrivals from the U.S. East increased 8.6 percent to 767,086 visitors. Similar to their U.S. West counterpart, more U.S. East visitors came to honeymoon, vacation and visit friends or relatives.

Japan: The islands hosted a total of 556,634 Japanese visitors during the first five months of 2004, up 14.8 percent from the same period last year. More Japanese visitors came to vacation, get married, honeymoon, for corporate meetings and incentives, and to visit friends and relatives compared to year-to-date 2003. Repeat visitors comprised 52.4 percent of the total compared to 52.8 percent for the same period last year.

Canada: A total of 113,710 Canadian visitors came to the islands, 4.6 percent fewer than the same year-to-date 2003.

• Cruise visitors: There was a total of 34 cruise ship arrivals year-to-date, carrying 91,807 out-of-state visitors, including those who arrived by air to board these ships and those who came with the ships. This was 24.9 percent below the same period last year, which saw 42 cruise ship arrivals and 112,190 passengers.

  The decrease in cruise visitors was mainly due to a shift in scheduling, which brought fewer out-of-state cruise ships with less passenger capacity to the islands in the first five months of 2004. Additionally, the Norwegian Star was the only Hawaii-home ported ship in the first four months of 2004, compared to the same period last year when both the Norwegian Star and the Norwegian Wind were based in Hawaii.

  In May 2004, the Norwegian Wind returned to Hawaii but the Norwegian Star departed. Beginning in late June the Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha will be based in Hawaii offering inter-island cruises.

  Repeat visitors to the islands comprised 59.2 percent of the out-of-state cruise visitors during year-to-date 2004, compared to 59 percent in the same period last year. These cruise visitors stayed an average of 7.4 days in Hawaii, of which 4.70 days were spent on their cruise and another 2.70 days were spent before and after their cruise.

Preliminary May 2004 visitor expenditures data:

• Total visitor expenditures: Total expenditures by visitors who came by air in May 2004 were $789.1 million. Total spending by U.S. West visitors was the highest at $297.3 million, followed by visitors from the U.S. East at $226.5 million, Japan at $159.3 million and Canada at $14.5 million.

  By island, visitor spending on Oahu totaled $329.1 million. Spending by visitors on Maui was second at $254.1 million, followed by visitor spending on Kauai ($100.4 million), the Big Island ($96.9 million), Lanai ($6.2 million) and Molokai ($2.3 million).

  Year-to-date, air visitors spent a total of $4 billion while in Hawaii. U.S. West visitors spent $1.4 billion, followed by visitors from the U.S. East ($1.2 billion), Japan ($814.4 million) and Canada ($196.1 million). Visitors from All Other MMAs spent $415.3 million so far this year.

  For the first five months of 2004, visitor spending on Oahu totaled $1.9 billion. Visitor spending on Maui was $1.2 billion, followed by the Big Island at $463.7 million, Kauai at $449.9 million, Lanai at $27.6 million and Molokai at $11.3 million.

• Per person per day expenditures: Japanese visitors continued to spend the most on a daily basis at $263 per person in May 2004, followed by those from All Other markets ($164 per person), the U.S. East ($158 per person), from the U.S. West ($147 per person) and from Canada ($115 per person). The average daily spending by Japanese visitors was $255 per person during the first five months of 2004. Visitors from All Other markets and from the U.S. East tied at $157 per person, followed by visitors from the U.S. West ($140 per person) and from Canada ($124 per person).
• Per person per trip expenditures: Visitors from U.S. East spent the most per trip at $1,547 per person in May 2004, followed by those from All Other markets at $1,511 per person, from Japan at $1,438 per person, from Canada at $1,382 per person and from the U.S. West at $1,342 per person.

  Year-to-date Canadian visitors spent $1,725 per person per trip, followed by visitors from All Other markets ($1,621 per person), from the U.S. East ($1,609 per person), Japan ($1,463 per person) and the U.S. West ($1,322 per person).

Technical Note: In an effort to improve the accuracy and timeliness of its visitor research data, DBEDT has implemented a new methodology for processing information. Monthly data on visitor expenditures are now released in the same month as DBEDT's basic series figures and are available statewide and by island. In addition, DBEDT is revising the "average length of stay" calculations for 2003 to reflect usage of the new in-flight survey form. The survey, developed to collect data from visitors arriving on domestic flights, now uses Teleform, an image scanning software with handwriting recognition ability. The new survey format allows visitors to report their exact length of stay, instead of the range of days recorded by the old fill-in bubble format. While DBEDT is in the process of revising the previous year's data, we will not present monthly comparisons of 2004 length of stay, visitor days, average daily census and visitor expenditures statistics with results from the previous year.

For more information, contact:
Marsha Wienert, Tourism Liaison
Phone: (808) 586-2362
Email: marsha.wienert@hawaii.gov

Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov