TOTAL VISITOR ARRIVALS GREW 9.3 PERCENT COMPARED TO MAY 2014

Total Visitor Expenditures Increased 10.4 Percent to $1.2 Billion

News Release from HTA June 25, 2015

HONOLULU – Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands in May 2015 grew 9.3 percent to 709,671 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Combined with higher average daily spending (+2.4% to $198 per person), total visitor expenditures increased 10.4 percent to $1.2 billion.

Arrivals by air rose 8.8 percent to 698,584 visitors in May 2015, while arrivals by cruise ships were up 57.6 percent to 11,087 visitors. Total visitor days increased 7.7 percent compared to May 2014.

For the U.S. West, arrivals by air grew 11.8 percent to 295,550 visitors. Higher daily spending (+9.5% to $170 per person) also contributed to a 19.9 percent growth in visitor expenditures to $447.4 million.

U.S. East arrivals increased 6.5 percent to 153,418 visitors, and the average daily spending rose to $201 per person (+3.2%). This led to a 7.5 percent growth in visitor expenditures to $302.3 million.

Japanese arrivals grew 3.6 percent to 112,486 visitors. However, decreased daily spending (-5.5% to $265 per person) resulted in a 3.1 percent decline in visitor expenditures to $167.8 million.

During this slow season for Canadian visitors, fewer arrivals (-11.1% to 26,459 visitors) caused visitor expenditures to decline by 8.7 percent to $45.5 million, despite higher daily spending (+3.4% to $157 per person).

Arrivals from All Other markets rose 15.9 percent to 110,671 visitors. Combined expenditures from All Other visitors was $238.3 million, 11.9 percent higher compared to May 2014.

Visitors days increased on Maui (+7.9%), O‘ahu (+7.6%), Hawai‘i Island (+7.5%) and Kaua‘i (+6.2%) compared to May 2014.

There were 978,261 total air seats to Hawai‘i in May 2015, up 8.8 percent from a year ago. Growth in scheduled seats from Canada (+31.8%), Oceania (+23.9%), U.S. East (+14%) and U.S. West (+12.4%) offset fewer seats from Other Asia (-10.7%) and Japan (-5.4%).

Year-to-Date 2015:

For the first five months of 2015, total arrivals (by air and by cruise ships) grew 4.1 percent to 3,508,098 visitors. Total visitor expenditures of $6.2 billion was two percent higher compared to year-to-date 2014. Total visitor expenditures increased on Kaua‘i (+8.2% to $669.3 million), Maui (+5.9% to $1.8 billion) and O‘ahu (+1% to $2.9 billion), but declined on Hawai‘i Island (-7% to $766.9 million).

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