Hawaii Visitor Spending Increased 4.8 Percent to $1.66 Billion in July 2018

News Release from HTA, August 30, 2018

HONOLULU – Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent a total of $1.66 billion in July 2018, an increase of 4.8 percent compared to a year ago, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).

Among Hawaii’s four largest visitor markets, the U.S. West (+6.2% to $636.2 million), Japan (+7.2% to $206.4 million) and Canada (+18.8% to $55.3 million) reported gains in visitor spending, while growth from the U.S. East was flat (+0.4% to $454.3 million) compared to a year ago. Combined visitor spending from All Other International Markets (+5.1% to $310.4 million) increased in July.

On a statewide level, there was no growth in visitor spending on an average daily basis (-0.4% to $195 per person) in July versus last year. Visitors from Japan (+5.4%), Canada (+8.3%) and All Other International Markets (+1.5%) spent more per day than in July 2017, while visitors from U.S. East (-3.9%) and U.S. West (-0.7%) spent less.

Total visitor arrivals rose 5.3 percent to 939,360 visitors in July – the most ever for any month in Hawaii’s history – comprised of arrivals by air service (+5.7% to 938,608 visitors) and cruise ships (-79.3% to 752 visitors). Total visitor days[1] rose 5.3 percent. The average daily census[2], or the number of visitors on any given day in July statewide, was 274,883, up 5.3 percent from last year.

Visitor arrivals by air service increased from U.S. West (+9.1% to 420,204), U.S. East (+6.8% to 222,694), Japan (+1.3% to 138,060) and Canada (+3.1% to 27,527), but declined from All Other International Markets (-1% to 130,122).

Oahu recorded increases in both visitor spending (+1.2% to $773.7 million) and visitor arrivals (+2% to 566,059) in July compared to last year. Maui also saw growth in visitor spending (+11.3% to $481.5 million) and arrivals (+12.7% to 295,110), as did Kauai with gains in visitor spending (+17.6% to $194.6 million) and arrivals (+7.3% to 137,641). The island of Hawaii recorded decreases in visitor spending (-7.2% to $201.1 million) and arrivals (-12.7% to 153,906) compared to last year.

A total of 1,203,885 trans-Pacific air seats – the highest monthly total in Hawaii’s history – serviced the Hawaiian Islands in July, up 5.6 percent from a year ago with growth in air seat capacity from U.S. East (+8.5%), Oceania (+8.3%), U.S. West (+7.3%), and Canada (+1.9%) offsetting fewer seats from Other Asia (-8.3%) and Japan (-1%).

Year-to-Date 2018

Year-to-date through July 2018, statewide visitor spending of $10.92 billion (+9.8%) surpassed the results for the same period last year. Visitor spending increased from U.S. West (+9.8% to $4.02 billion), U.S. East (+9.2% to $2.91 billion), Japan (+7.2% to $1.34 billion), Canada (+7.6% to $705.3 million) and from All Other International Markets (+13.7% to $1.92 billion).

Statewide average daily spending by visitors rose to $205 per person (+2.7%) through the first seven months of 2018.

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