For Immediate Release: April 28, 2008
DBEDT Release News 08-09

First Quarter Visitor Spending Increased 6 Percent to $3.2 Billion

Note: March 2008 Visitor Research Data can be viewed here.

HONOLULU--Total visitor days for air and cruise visitors in March 2008 rose 1.4 percent compared to March 2007, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

Boosted by higher average daily spending ($180 per person this March compared to $175 per person in March last year) air visitor expenditures rose by $44.4 million or 4.4 percent to $1.1 billion, even though visitors who arrived by air decreased .9 percent (653,852) compared to last March.

Total arrivals by air and cruise visitors declined 1 percent to 666,167 visitors. However, those who came during March 2008 stayed 9 days compared to 8.78 days in March 2007.

Among the top four visitor markets, air arrivals from Canada increased 16.3 percent while U.S. West arrivals rose 1.9 percent. Arrivals from the U.S. East (-8.2%) and Japan (-11.9%) were lower compared to March 2007.

"We are very pleased by the continued growth in total visitor spending in March and the increase in U.S. West and Canadian visitors to the State," said Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert.

For the first three months of 2008, total expenditures by air visitors rose 6 percent to $3.2 billion. Contributing to the growth was a 2.7 percent increase in air arrivals to 1,831,135 visitors. The average daily spending was also slightly higher at $179 per person compared to $178 per person in the first three months of 2007.

Total visitor days for air and cruise visitors grew 5.1 percent thanks to a 2.8 percent increase in total visitor arrivals by air and ship compared to year-to-date 2007.

Other Highlights:

• The 16.3 percent growth in arrivals from Canada was the eighth consecutive month of increases since August 2007. Year-to-date, Canadian arrivals rose 24.8 percent to 134,072 visitors.
• Canadian visitors who planned to stay in condominiums in Hawai‘i jumped 27.7 percent in March 2008 and 47.4 percent year-to-date.
• March 2008 marked the third consecutive month that Canadian visitor days surpassed Japanese visitor days.
• The number of Japanese arrivals in March 2008 decreased 11.9 percent which affected all islands; O‘ahu (-10.2%), Kaua‘i (-41.1%), Maui (-27.7%) and the Big Island of Hawai‘i (-13.6%). Those that came stayed longer, up 1.4 percent and their per person per day spending increased 8.8 percent to $287.
• For March 2008, arrivals from the Pacific Region rose 6.1 percent, boosted by growth in visitors from California (+6%) and Washington (+17.2%). Arrivals from all other regions were lower compared to the same month last year.
• For the first three months of 2008, visitor arrivals were higher for the Pacific (+3.9%), West North Central (+1.8%), West South Central (+2.9%) and East North Central (+1.3%) regions, but declined in the Mountain (-1.6%), East South Central (-5.9%), New England (-8.2%), Middle Atlantic (-3.2%) and South Atlantic (-3.1%) regions compared to year-to-date 2007.

• Spending by visitors on O‘ahu for March 2008 grew 3.6 percent to $472 million, when compared to last March. Visitor spending on Maui was the second highest at $325 million, up 10 percent. Spending on Hawai‘i Island decreased 2.9 percent to $135 million. For the first three months of 2008, visitor spending on all islands increased compared to the same period last year.
• Despite lower arrivals on O‘ahu (-.9%) and Maui (-2.9%) in March 2008, visitors days on these islands rose by 4 percent and 3.3 percent.
• Visitor arrivals to Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island in March 2008 were down more than 10 percent compared to the same month last year. Much of the decline was attributed to the withdrawal of inter island cruise ships. The decrease in total visitor days on Kaua‘i (-2.6%) and Hawai‘i Island (-5%) showed less of a decline.
• Fewer visitors in March 2008 went to more than one island during their stay, resulting in a 7.3 percent decline in multiple island visitation compared to last March. More total visitors stayed exclusively on Kaua‘i (+5.8%), Maui (+4.2%), Moloka‘i (+4.2%) or Lana‘i (+11.2%) compared to the same month last year.
• For the first three months of 2008, arrivals increased for O‘ahu (+2.2%), Maui (+1.1%), Moloka‘i (+10%) and Lana‘i (+5.5%) but declined on Hawai‘i Island (-3.5%) and Kaua‘i (-5.8%). Visitor days increased on all islands compared to year-to-date 2007.

• O‘ahu (+17.6%) and Maui (+11.9%) reported strong growth in arrivals from Canada in March 2008 compared to the same month last year.
• Through March 2008, O‘ahu saw growth in arrivals from U.S. West and Canadian visitors but fewer from the U.S. East and Japan. Maui and Hawai‘i Island reported increased arrivals from Canadian visitors compared to year-to-date 2007.

March 2008 Cruise Ship Visitors

• Visitors who came by cruise ship declined 10.1 percent to 12,315 visitors, resulting in a 9.4 percent drop in total visitor days compared to the same month last year (see "Arrivals at a Glance" Table on page 2). Year-to-date, 35,847 visitors came by cruise ships, up 4.6 percent, while total visitor days rose 10.7 percent.
• For March 2008 a total of 31,685 visitors came by ship or arrived by air and boarded a cruise ship, down 34.2 from last March. The average length of stay by all cruise visitors during the month was 10.17 days, up from 9.57 days in March 2007.
• The decrease in total cruise visitors for March 2008 was largely due to the departure of the Pride of Hawai‘i which discontinued its inter-island cruises in January 2008. Also there was one less ship tour from the Pride of Aloha which changed its itinerary from seven-day cruises to ten- and eleven-day cruises. In addition, the Norwegian Wind which was in the islands last March has not been in Hawai‘i since April 2007.
• For the first three months of 2008, a total of 95,019 visitors came by ship or by air to board cruise ships, 27.9 percent lower compared to the same period last year. Visitor days for all cruise visitors decreased 22 percent.

Technical Notes: Beginning with the January 2008 news release, total visitor days and total visitor arrivals will combine visitors who came by air and by cruise ships to more accurately reflect all visitors to Hawai‘i (see "Arrivals at a Glance" Table on page 2). In previous monthly news releases, these statistics were reported separately.

All other statistics including visitor expenditures will continue to reflect spending of visitors who arrived by air only. Spending by visitors who came by cruise ships is not available at the time of the release. Supplemental Business Expenditures are also not included. Both of these statistics will be reported in the Annual Visitor Research Report.

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