Hawaii Visitor Spending Up 15% Through May
Some positive news for Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy: despite a drop-off in Japan visits, the state saw its 13th consecutive month of increased visitor spending.
Tourists spent 15 percent more in the islands during the first five months of the year, compared to the same time frame last year, according to new figures by the .
In May alone, total visitor spending was up nearly 6 percent — the thirteenth consecutive month of increased spending. Total visitor arrivals in May were up slightly over last May to 553,505.
Year to date, total visitor spending topped $5 billion through May, compared to $4.3 billion through May of last year. Visitor arrivals for the five months totaled 2.95 million, up almost 7 percent over last year.
Despite the overall gains, Hawaii is still feeling the effects of the Japanese disasters earlier this year. In May, visitor arrivals from Japan were down 17 percent compared to last May, and spending was off by 10 percent for the month.
Year to date, Japan visitors are down almost 7 percent through May. But Japanese spending for that five-month period was up 5 percent, compared to last year’s numbers.
“The strong yen was a significant factor to boosting daily spending in this market,” HTA President and CEO Mike McCartney said in a prepared statement.
“We anticipate activity to remain strong through the second half of the year,” McCartney said, “with increased airlift out of Asia and Oceania, and the establishment of the China Eastern Airlines service from Honolulu to Shanghai beginning in August.”
Read HTA’s full .
