TOTAL VISITOR EXPENDITURES FOR JANUARY 2015 DECREASED 2.5 PERCENT TO $1.4 BILLION

Total Visitor Days Rose Slightly Compared to January 2014

News Release from HTA, February 26, 2015

HONOLULU – Total expenditures by visitors who came to Hawai‘i in January 2015 decreased 2.5 percent ($35.2 million) from January 2014 to $1.4 billion1 , according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. The average daily visitor spending (-3.2% to $193 per person) was lower than a year ago, mainly due to declines from Japan and from the All Other markets.

While visitor expenditures were down, there was still positive growth in total visitor days (+0.8%) in January 2015. Visitor days from air visitors actually increased 1.6 percent from January 2014 but was partially offset by a sharp decline in visitor days from those who came by cruise ships (-56.1%).

For the U.S. West, growth in arrivals by air (+3.9% to 240,905 visitors) and increased daily spending (+1.3% to $162 per person) led to a 3.9 percent gain in visitor expenditures to $422.4 million.

Expenditures by Canadian visitors rose 4.3 percent to $187.6 million. Canadian arrivals grew 3.1 percent to 72,343 visitors while daily spending ($177 per person) was higher than January 2014 ($173 per person).

Although Japanese arrivals decreased 4.9 percent to 110,969 visitors, the average length of stay was longer (+2.5% to 5.84 days) compared to January 2014. Much lower daily spending (-10.6% to $260 per person) also contributed to a 12.8 percent drop in visitor expenditures to $168.6 million.

Expenditures by U.S. East visitors totaled $394.6 million (-0.8%) in January 2015. Arrivals (+0.8% to 147,423 visitors) rose slightly from January 2014, but the average daily spending (-1.5% to $209 per person) was down.

Arrivals from All Other markets fell 2.1 percent to 97,972 visitors. Arrivals from Oceania rose 10.2 percent from last January. However, a shift in the Lunar New Year Holiday to February in 2015 from January in 2014 contributed to fewer visitors from Other Asia (-16.3%). Combined expenditures from All Other visitors decreased 11.3 percent to $216.5 million.

Among the four larger Hawaiian Islands, visitor days increased on Maui (+5%), Kaua‘i (+4%) and Hawai‘i Island (+1.6%) but declined on O‘ahu (-1%) compared to January 2014.

There were 999,319 total air seats to the Hawaiian Islands in January 2015, up 5.6 percent from last year. Scheduled seats from Oceania (+15.8%), Canada (+14.2%), U.S. West (+9.7%) and U.S. East (+7.3%) increased, offsetting fewer seats from Other Asia (-18%) and Japan (-7%).

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