TOTAL VISITOR EXPENDITURES AND ARRIVALS FOR NOVEMBER 2013 DECREASED FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH

Year-to-Date Total Visitor Expenditures and Arrivals Continued to Exceed Last Year

News Release from HTA December 27, 2013 

HONOLULU – Total visitor expenditures in November 2013 decreased 2.1 percent to $1.1 billion while visitor arrivals to Hawai‘i dropped 5.5 percent to 620,051 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. This was the third consecutive month of declines for both visitor expenditures and arrivals compared to the previous year. Although there were fewer visitors compared to November 2012, their average daily visitor spending rose 3.1 percent to $199 per person. For the first 11 months of 2013, total visitor expenditures (+2.9% to $13.2 billion) and arrivals (+3% to 7,513,089 visitors) continued to exceed year-to-date 2012. 

A 7.3 percent drop in U.S. West arrivals to 254,122 visitors in November 2013 resulted in a 7.5 percent decline in U.S. West visitor expenditures to $368 million. U.S. East visitor expenditures decreased 15 percent to $201 million due to fewer arrivals (-9.2% to 105,834 visitors) and lower daily visitor spending (-6.7% to $187 per person).

Arrivals from Japan totaled 122,484 visitors in November 2013, comparable to a year ago. However, lower daily spending (-5% to $309 per person) and a shorter length of stay (-2.2% to 5.55 days) led to a 6.5 percent decline in Japanese visitor expenditures to $209.6 million. Stable arrivals (44,650 visitors) and higher daily spending (+9.2% to $171 per person) boosted Canadian visitor expenditures to $98.5 million in November 2013.

There were 77,892 visitors from All Other markets, about the same as November 2012. Significantly more visitors from Oceania (+33.3%) and an 8.8 percent increase from Europe offset an 11.2 percent decrease in arrivals from Other Asia (see page 2). Combined expenditures from All Other visitors grew 30.2 percent to $217.2 million boosted by higher daily spending and a longer length of stay. Arrivals by cruise ships decreased 30.5 percent from last November to 15,069 visitors (see page 6).

Among the islands, visitor expenditures in November 2013 declined on O‘ahu (-7.9% to $553 million) but increased on Kaua‘i (+9.3% to $110.8 million) and Maui (+5.8% to $289.6 million). Visitor expenditures on Hawai‘i Island ($131 million) were similar to November 2012 (see page 4).

There were 863,617 total air seats to Hawai‘i in November 2013, up 1.5 percent from last November. Growth in scheduled seats from Oceania (+41.4%), Japan (+11.6%), Canada (+5%) and Other Asia (+3.3%) offset declines from U.S. East (-5.1%) and U.S. West (-2%) (see page 5).

read … The Rest