Hawaii's visitor count, expenditures declined in June

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, July 30, 2024

(The Center Square) - Fewer people visited Hawaii in June of 2024 than in the previous year, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

"Overall travel to the Hawaiian Islands was soft for June with total visitors by air decreasing slightly by 1.5 percent from June 2023," said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka. "Domestic visitors arriving by air decreased by 3 percent, while international visitors arriving by air increased by 8.2 percent compared to the same month a year ago."

Visitor spending was also down, with tourists spending $1.91 billion, 4.4% less than in June 2023.

Maui experienced the most significant decline in visitors, falling 21.8% from year to year. The island is still recovering from the fires that swept through the Lahaina area in August last year. The only other island to see a decrease is Hawaii Island, which dropped 1.1%.

Hawaii had fewer visitors from the U.S. West, with a 1.7% decrease. The drop was more significant from the U.S. West. DBEDT statistics show 232,186 visited in June 2024, down 6.5% from 2023.

The Aloha State did see a significant increase in visitors from Japan, with 59,874 visitors, 28.1% more than in June 2023. However, the numbers are 52.7% lower than before the pandemic, when 126,592 visitors arrived from Japan.

More tourists from other markets also visited Hawaii than in the previous year.

"During Hawaii’s hosting of the 13th annual Festival of the Pacific Arts and Culture, Governor Green and the state of Hawaii showcased their hosting capabilities and welcomed visitors from around the Pacific," Tokioka said. "The Other Major Market Area, which includes most of the visitors from Pacific nations, increased by 3.9 percent for June when compared to last year."

Visitor count and spending for the first half of 2024 are also lower than in 2023, according to DBEDT. Just over 4.78 million people have visited the islands in 2024, down 3.7% from 2023.

Visitor spending is down 4.8% from $10.78 billion in the first six months of 2023 to $10.26 billion in the first six months of 2024. However, the numbers are 15.9% better than the first half of 2019, according to DBEDT. The numbers are adjusted for inflation.

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VISITOR ARRIVALS DECREASED IN JUNE 2024

News Release from DBEDT, July 30, 2024

HONOLULU – According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), total visitor arrivals and total visitor spending in June 2024 decreased compared to June 2023. There were 872,620 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in June 2024, down 1.9 percent from the same month last year. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.91 billion, a decrease of 4.4 percent from June 2023. June 2024 total visitor arrivals represent a 92.1 percent recovery compared to pre-pandemic June 2019 and total visitor spending was higher than June 2019 ($1.63 billion, +17.3%).

All of the 872,620 visitors in June 2024 came by air service and they were mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East. No out-of-state cruise ship visited Hawai‘i during the month. In June 2023, 886,038 visitors (-1.5%) arrived by air and 3,236 visitors came via one cruise ship. In June 2019, 946,373 visitors arrived by air (-7.8%) and 738 visitors came via two small cruise ships.

The average length of stay by all visitors in June 2024 was 8.97 days, compared to 9.07 days (-1.1%) in June 2023 and 8.80 days (+1.9%) in June 2019. The statewide average daily census was260,965 visitors in June 2024, compared to 268,857 visitors (-2.9%) in June 2023 and 277,930 visitors (-6.1%) in June 2019.

In June 2024, 479,039 visitors arrived from the U.S. West, down from June 2023 (487,370 visitors, -1.7%), but an increase from June 2019 (452,958 visitors, +5.8%). U.S. West visitor spending of $984.2 million declined compared to June 2023 ($1.01 billion, -2.3%), but was much higher than June 2019 ($691.2 million, +42.4%). Daily spending by U.S. West visitors in June 2024 ($236 per person) was similar to June 2023 ($236 per person, +0.1%) and was considerably more than June 2019 ($171 per person, +38.0%).

In June 2024, 231,186 visitors arrived from the U.S. East, which was a decrease compared to June 2023 (247,299 visitors, -6.5%) and June 2019 (240,223 visitors, -3.8%). U.S. East visitor spending of $631.7 million declined from June 2023 ($672.6 million, -6.1%), but was much higher than June 2019 ($491.1 million, +28.6%). Daily spending by U.S. East visitors in June 2024 ($275 per person) was unchanged from June 2023 ($275 per person, 0.0%) and was significantly more than June 2019 ($210 per person, +30.8%).

There were 59,874 visitors from Japan in June 2024, which increased significantly from June 2023 (46,753 visitors, +28.1%), but continued to be much lower than June 2019 (126,592 visitors, -52.7%). Visitors from Japan spent $87.3 million in June 2024, compared to $69.4 million (+25.8%) in June 2023 and $182.0 million (-52.0%) in June 2019. Daily spending by Japanese visitors in June 2024 ($237 per person) was lower than June 2023 ($238 per person, -0.4%) and June 2019 ($248 per person, -4.6%).

In June 2024, 16,380 visitors arrived from Canada, a decrease from June 2023 (19,237 visitors, -14.9%) and June 2019 (19,172 visitors, -14.6%). Visitors from Canada spent $34.7 million in June 2024, down from June 2023 ($44.7 million, -22.4%) and June 2019 ($36.1 million, -3.9%). Daily spending by Canadian visitors in June 2024 ($213 per person) was less than June 2023 ($226 per person, -5.4%), but was considerably more than June 2019 ($160 per person, +33.5%).

There were 86,141 visitors from all other international markets in June 2024, comprising visitors from Oceania, Other Asia, Europe, Latin America, Guam, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and other countries. Included in this figure were more than 2,000 delegates and dignitaries from 26 nations in the Pacific who came to participate in the 13th Annual Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC).

In comparison, there were 85,379 visitors (+0.9%) from all other international markets in June 2023 and 107,428 visitors (-19.8%) in June 2019.

Air capacity to the Hawaiian Islands in June 2024 (5,107 transpacific flights with 1,135,572 seats) increased slightly compared to June 2023 (5,101 flights, +0.1% with 1,114,484 seats, +1.9%). Air capacity declined compared to June 2019 (5,399 flights, -5.4% with 1,182,276 seats, -4.0%).

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