It is clear that tourism in Hawaii continues to improve. This is very encouraging for businesses and residents in our state as our overall economy begins to recover. We are especially encouraged that daily visitor spending, as well as visitor arrivals, continues to increase.
A 5 percent increase last month in international visitors from Canada, Oceania and Other Asia, which includes China, Taiwan and Korea, can be attributed in part to the ongoing effort to strengthen relationships in international markets, increasing the demand for Hawai’i travel. International markets, especially developing ones, produce more first-time visitors, which is key to increasing per-person-per-day spending.
Additionally, an increase in foreign cruise ship arrivals and visitors in April was welcomed by many of our activities and attractions in the islands,” continued Wienert.
The year-to-date growth in visitor spending of $132.8 million is impacting our economy in a positive way. We anticipate continued growth this year in both visitor arrivals and visitor spending, spurred by increased airseats and demand by foreign and domestic travelers as the global and national economies stabilize.”
Marsha Wienert is the state of Hawaii Tourism Liaison; Email her at marsha.wienert@hawaii.gov