Hawaii records a 5.4% increase in visitors for 2019

Hawaii welcomed 10,424,995 visitors in 2019, an increase of 5.4 per cent from the 9,888,845 visitors in 2018, according to year-end statistics released by the Hawaii Tourism Authority this week.

Total visitor days rose three per cent in 2019; on average, there were 249,021 visitors in the Hawaiian Islands on any given day in 2019, up three per cent from 2018.

Arrivals by air service increased to 10,282,160 visitors (+5.3 per cent) in 2019, with growth from U.S. West (+9.8 per cent), U.S. East (+4.2 per cent) and Japan (+3.8 per cent) offsetting decreases from Canada (-2.4 per cent) and other international markets (-1.8 per cent). Arrivals by cruise ships rose 12.1 percent to 142,836 visitors compared to 2018.

Spending down for 2019

On a statewide level, while average daily spending by visitors in 2019 decreased to $195 per person, visitors from Canada spent more per day compared to 2018, increasing slightly by 0.6 per cent to $165. However, overall 2019 visitor spending from Canada declined by 3.2 per cent to $107 billion.

Food and beverage and entertainment and recreation expenses for Canadians increased, while lodging expenses dropped slightly. Transportation and shopping expenses were similar to 2018.

Growth in air seat capacity from Canada dipped 0.9 per cent; increased service from Toronto (+41.3 per cent) offset fewer seats from Edmonton (-17.5 per cent) and Calgary (-4.9 per cent).