Increased Visitors Spending More on Maui Than Last Year

Maui Now file photo.

By Maui Now Staff

For the first quarter of 2015, total visitor expenditures increased on Maui by 5.4% and Kauaʻi by 6.2%, but declined on Hawaiʻi Island by 8.3% and Oʻahu by 1.8%.

Total visitor expenditures of $5 billion were similar last year during the same time period, according to preliminary statistics recently released by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Total arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands by air and by cruise ships increased 2.9 percent to 2,798,427 visitors during the first four months of 2015.

In April of this year, visitors days increased on Maui by 2.5%, Oʻahu by 4.8%, Hawaiʻi Island by 4.3% and was relatively unchanged for Kauaʻi at .2% compared to April 2014.

Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands in April 2015 increased 2.3 percent to 677,754 visitors. Arrivals by air grew 4.1% to 665,393 visitors, offsetting a 46.6% decline in arrivals by cruise ships.

Total visitor days in April were up 2.1% compared to April 2014. Combined with an increase in average daily spending–up 3.2% to $196 per person–total visitor expenditures rose 5.4% to $1.2 billion.

US West arrivals by air increased 7.7 percent to 295,683 visitors, contributing to a 6.7 percent growth in visitor expenditures to $424.2 million. Daily spending was $162 per person, up .5% from last April.

US East arrivals grew 3.6 percent to 133,509 visitors; the average daily spending was $195 per person, also up .5% from last April. U.S. East visitor expenditures increased 2.6% to $248.5 million.

After four months of declines, Japanese arrivals rose 1.9% to 98,240 visitors in April 2015. However, lower daily spending–down 11.2% to $242 per person–led to a 10.5% decrease in visitor expenditures to $136.2 million.

During the slow season, Canadian arrivals declined 8.3% to 45,422 visitors, which resulted in a 7.1% drop in visitor expenditures to $88.1 million.

Arrivals from everywhere else rose 2.9% to 92,538 visitors. Expenditures were $256.8 million–26.5% higher than last April.

There were 978,585 total air seats to Hawaiʻi in April 2015, up 8.9 percent from a year ago. US West seats increased 14.7%, Oceania was up 14%, US East rose 12.8% and Canada increased 12.5%. These increases offset fewer seats from other Asian markets, which were down 11.7%, and Japan, down 7.7%.