Maui Visitor Spending Up 9.1%; Arrivals Up 3.9%

Oneloa or Big Beach in Mākena, file photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Visitor spending on Maui is up more than 9% so far this year, and visitor arrivals are up nearly 4%, according to year-to-date figures released this week by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

In the first eight months of 2013, an estimated 1,636,653 visitors came to Maui, and spent a total of $2.5 billion.

In the month of August, Maui saw a 2.8% increase in arrivals to 210,350 visitors.  Visitors to Maui also stayed longer than any other location, up 3% to 7.59 days.  That contributed to a 2.6% increase in total visitor expenditures on Maui to $294.5 million, according to the HTA.

The average visitor to Maui spent $184.40 per-person-per-day, and $1,399.80 per-person-per-trip.

The HTA data also shows that visitor arrivals from the US East Coast and Japan were both up from year before levels.  There was a 6.1% increase in arrivals from the US East coast to 55,373; and a 19.2% increase in Japanese visitors compared to August 2012.

According to the HTA, total air seats to Kahului increased 6.3% in the first eight months of the year, but declines 1.6% to 159,294 in August 2013.

On the other islands, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi both reported a decline in visitors from year before levels.  For August 2013, Molokaʻi visitor arrivals were down 4.1% to 3,872; and Lānaʻi was down 4.8% to 6,278 visitors.

Molokaʻi also saw a double-digit drop in visitor expenditures, down 35.7% in the first eight months of the year, and down 38.3% in per-person-per-day spending to $103.80.

On Lānaʻi, visitor spending is up 16.9% so far this year, and per-person-per-day spending for August 2013 is up 17.3% from the same time last year to $371.50–the highest in the state.

Statewide, visitors spent $1.2 billion in August 2013, and arrivals increased 2.5% to 748,775 visitors.

HTA president Mike McCartney issued a statement saying, “As we come out of the peak summer travel season, visitor arrivals and spending for the year continue to surpass 2012. While the growth in August was not as robust as in previous months, it is important to note that due to continued efforts to increase distribution statewide, we have been successful in increasing total expenditures on the neighbor islands.”

He continued saying, “We anticipate seeing a slowing in arrivals and expenditures as we enter the fall shoulder season.”