For Immediate Release: October 27, 2005
DBEDT News Release 05-31

Note: September 2005 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

Another Record For Year-to-Date Total Arrivals

HONOLULU - September 2005 was a strong month for Hawaii's visitor industry with increases in total spending and total visitor days, boosted by record total arrivals to the islands, according to data released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

Total visitor spending rose 14.1 percent compared to the same month last year to $913 million, while total visitor days increased 6 percent. Growth in international visitors and record arrivals from the domestic market elevated total arrivals by 7.1 percent to 558,990 visitors.

Of the total number of arrivals during the month, 21,681 visitors flew to the state to board Hawaii home-ported cruise ships, and another 7,378 visitors came by out-of-state cruise ships visiting the islands. Total cruise visitor days climbed 51.8 percent for September 2005.

Year-to-date, total visitor expenditures surpassed the same period last year by 8.4 percent to $8.6 billion, while total visitor days increased 7.2 percent. Total arrivals rose 7.1 percent to reach 5,575,383 visitors, the best result on record for the first nine months of any year.

"Domestic arrivals in September set a new milestone for the month. Contributing to the record total arrivals in September was a 72.2 percent increase in meeting, convention and incentive visitors and a 12.7% in honeymooners in the islands" said State Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert. "

Total Air Visitors: Air visitors spent a total of $8.6 billion during the first nine months of 2005, up 8.4 percent compared to the same period last year with increases from all four major visitor markets (U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan and Canada).

Year-to-date visitor spending on Oahu totaled $4.2 billion (+5.9%), followed by Maui at $2.3 billion (+8.7%), the Big Island at $1.1 billion (+21.1%) and Kauai at $874.9 million (+6.4%).

Contributing to the growth in total visitor expenditures was a 7.2 percent increase in total visitor days, supported by record high total arrivals of 5,575,383 visitors to date. The average length of stay by these visitors was 9.09 days.

Visitor arrivals rose on the Big Island (+17%), Oahu (+7.4%), Maui (+3.8%), Kauai (+3.8%) and Molokai (+1.9%) compared to the same period last year.

A greater number of visitors came to vacation (+7%), honeymoon (+10.5%), visit friends or relatives (+6.4%) and for meetings, conventions and incentives (+26.6%).

Repeat visitors accounted for 62.2 percent of the total visitors to Hawaii, virtually unchanged from year-to-date 2004.

• Domestic air visitors: Domestic visitor days grew 7.9 percent as arrivals rose 7.5 percent to 3,986,212 visitors, a new record for the first eight months of the year. The average length of stay was 9.89 days up from 9.85 days in year-to-date 2004. *

  The number of U.S. visitors, which comprised 92 percent of total domestic arrivals, was 7.5 percent higher compared to the same period last year with increases from all U.S. regions. Total domestic arrivals include U.S. residents and international visitors who came to Hawaii on domestic flights.

• International air visitors: International visitor days rose 5 percent due to a 6.3 percent growth in arrivals to 1,589,171 visitors. The average length of stay was 7.07 days.

• Air visitors from the top four major market areas (MMAs):

  U.S. West: Total spending by U.S. West visitors increased 9.9 percent compared to year-to-date 2004, to $3.2 billion, the highest among the four major visitor markets. The average daily spending was $148 per person. Visitor days for this group rose 7.5 percent, as arrivals increased 7.8 percent to 2,253,425 visitors. The average length of stay was virtually unchanged from year-to-date 2004 at 9.47 days. More of these visitors came to vacation, visit friends or relatives, and for conventions, corporate meetings and incentives compared to the same period last year.

  U.S. East: Total spending by U.S. East visitors reached $2.7 billion, 9.9 percent higher compared to the same period last year. This group of visitors spent an average of $175 per person per day, the second highest among the top four visitor markets. Visitor days grew 7 percent compared to the first nine months of 2004. Contributing to the increase was a 6.1 percent growth in arrivals to 1,477,491 visitors. The average length of stay was 10.33 days. Similar to their U.S. West counterpart, more U.S. East visitors came to vacation, visit friends or relatives and attend corporate meetings.

  Japan: Total spending by Japanese visitors rose.6 percent over year-to-date 2004 levels to $1.6 billion. While ranking the third in total expenditures, Japanese visitors spent the most on a daily basis at $245 per person. Japanese visitor days rose 2.4 percent, boosted by arrivals which increased 4.3 percent to 1,137,892 visitors. The average length of stay by these visitors was 5.74 days. More Japanese visitors came to vacation, honeymoon and for conventions and incentives compared to the same period last year.

Canada: Total expenditures and average daily spending by Canadian visitors ranked fourth among the top four major visitor markets at $286million (+10.6%) and $127 per person, respectively. Canadian visitor days rose 11 percent due to a 9.7 percent growth in arrivals to 171,539 visitors in the first nine months of 2005. The average length of stay was 13.11 days.


• Per person per trip expenditures by MMA: Year-to-date U.S. East visitors spent the most per trip at $1,810 per person, followed by visitors from Canada ($1,667 per person), from All Other markets ($1,605 per person), U.S. West ($1,404 per person) and Japan ($1,404 per person).

Total cruise visitor days jumped 53.7 percent during the first nine months of 2005. Contributing to this increase was a 35.2 percent growth in out-of-state visitors to 203,957 passengers, including those who arrived by air to board cruise ships and those who came with the ships. These visitors were aboard 36 out-of-state cruise ships including the foreign flagged Norwegian Wind. In addition there were two U.S. flagged ships home ported in Hawaii, the Pride of Aloha and the newly added Pride of America which began inter-island cruises in mid July 2005.

In year-to-date 2004, there were 43 out-of-state cruise ships including the foreign flagged Norwegian Star which toured the islands from January to April 2004 and the Norwegian Wind which came in May 2004. In addition the U.S. flagged Pride of Aloha began touring the islands in July 2004.

Repeat visitors to Hawaii comprised 54 percent of the out-of-state cruise visitors, compared to 56.1 percent in year-to-date 2004. These cruise visitors stayed an average of 9.09 days in Hawaii, of which 5.99 days were spent on their cruise and another 3.11 days were spent before and after their cruise.

Technical Notes: 2004 air visitor data presented in this news release are the final 2004 numbers. Detailed final statistics are published in the 2004 Annual Visitor Research Report.

2005 expenditure data for the nine months of the year have been revised to reflect the inclusion of inter island air fare costs in order to compare 2005 to final 2004 statistics. In addition, total spending (on-ship and on-shore) by passengers touring the islands on Hawaii home ported ships has also been included as has on-shore spending by passengers on foreign ships.

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