Total visitor spending in the Hawaiian Islands increased 10.4 percent to $1.2 billion in September 2016, setting a new record for the month of September and making it the fourth straight month of year-over-year increases, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘I Tourism Authority (HTA).
Visitor spending in September 2016 shot up from U.S. East (+29% to $272.7 million), rose dramatically from All Other International Markets (+13.7% to $295.7 million), and showed solid growth from U.S. West (+2.8% to $364 million), Japan (+3.4% to $191.9 million), and Canada (+5.5% to $39.2 million) compared to September 2015.
Statewide average daily spending rose to $203 per person (+4.6%) in September 2016, as visitors from most markets spent more on a daily basis, including Canada (+11.1%), U.S. East (+9.6%), Japan (+3%), U.S. West (+0.6%), and All Other International Markets (+0.9%) versus the year prior.
Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands also set a new record for the month of September with 666,605 visitors in September 2016, a 3 percent increase from a year ago. September marked 20 consecutive months of year-over-year growth in arrivals, extending a streak from February 2015. Total visitor days1 rose by 5.6 percent.
A total of 656,729 visitors arrived on airlines (+5.3%), while 9,875 visitors came to Hawai‘i via cruise ships (-57.6%). Leading the growth in air arrivals were visitors from U.S. East (+19% to 127,077), All Other International Markets (+6.6% to 126,594), and U.S. West (+3.1% to 249,795), which offset fewer visitors coming from Canada (-3.4% to 19,940) and Japan (-1.6% to 133,623).
Meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) business was exceptional for Hawai‘i in September 2016, highlighted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress (9,000+ delegates) and CPCU convention of insurance underwriters (11,000+ delegates). The Hawai‘i Tourism Conference, other conventions, and a strong increase in incentive visitors also contributed significantly to the boost in visitor growth from MCI business.
In September 2016, all four larger Hawaiian Islands saw growth in visitor arrivals and expenditures compared to last September.
Total air capacity to Hawai‘i rose slightly (+0.6% to 887,846 seats) in September 2016 compared to the year prior. Growth in scheduled seats from Other Asia (+20.1%), Oceania (+6.6%), U.S. East (+2.2%), and U.S. West (+1.6%) offset declines from Canada (-7.8%) and Japan (-7.4%).
Year-to-Date 2016
Through the first nine months of 2016, total visitor arrivals (+2.6% to 6,698,545) and visitor spending (+3.7% to $11.6 billion) exceeded the same period last year. Arrivals increased from U.S. West (+4.1%), U.S. East (+3.5%), and All Other International Markets (+6.5%), but declined from Canada (-8.9%). Year-to-date growth in arrivals from Japan (+0.3%) was flat compared to 2015.
There were gains in visitor spending from U.S. West (+5.4% to $4.1 billion), U.S. East (+5.7% to $2.9 billion), and All Other International Markets (+6.6% to $2.3 billion), but no growth from Japan (+0.3% to $1.5 billion), and a decrease in spending by visitors from Canada (-13.2% to $689.7 million).
Through September 2016, visitor arrivals increased for Maui (+3.7%), O‘ahu (+2.1%), and the island of Hawai‘i (+1.3%) while growth for Kaua‘i (+0.2%) was similar to last year. Visitor spending grew for Maui (+9.3% to $3.4 billion), the island of Hawai‘i (+9.2% to $1.5 billion), and Kaua‘i (+7.7% to $1.2 billion), but declined for O‘ahu (-2.1% to $5.4 billion).
Other Highlights:
• MCI: Total visitors who came to Hawai‘i in September 2016 for meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) doubled (+98.4% to 49,000) compared to the year prior. Convention visitors from U.S. East nearly tripled, while growth was also excellent from Japan (+83.6%), and U.S. West (+35.1%) to more than offset the decline from Canada (-21.6%). The 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, which was held in the United States for the first time, brought more than 9,000 delegates from 190 countries, including heads of state and government officials. The 2016 CPCU convention of insurance underwriters brought more than 11,000 delegates, with most coming from the mainland U.S. The Hawai‘i Tourism Conference attracted over 2,000 attendees, nearly a quarter of whom were from out of state. In addition, incentive travel to Hawai‘i almost doubled in the month of September (+93.6% to 12,671). Year-to-date through September 2016, total MCI visitors increased (+3.2% to 384,121) from the same period last year.
• U.S. West: More visitors came from the Pacific region (+3.2%) in September 2016 compared to the previous year, led by California (+3.6%) and Alaska (+2.7%). Arrivals also increased from the Mountain region (+2.8%), led by Nevada (+10.3%) and Utah (+9.1%). Year-to-date through September 2016, arrivals grew from both the Pacific region (+5.1%) and Mountain region (+2.8%) compared to the same period last year.
• U.S. East: In September 2016, all seven U.S. East regions reported increased visitor arrivals, highlighted by strong growth from the two largest regions, East North Central (+5.5%) and South Atlantic (+17%). For the first nine months of 2016, visitor arrivals were up from all U.S. East regions compared to a year ago.
• Japan: Contributing to the drop in arrivals from Japan (-1.6%) in September 2016 were fewer air seats compared to the year prior. Over the last few months, many airlines have reconfigured their aircrafts to provide more premium economy seats, but this has reduced the overall seat inventory. Limited air seats and high load factors impacted booking to Hawai‘i in September 2016. Despite decreased arrivals, visitor days (+0.4%) was comparable to last year, boosted by a longer average length of stay (+2% to 5.93 days).
• Canada: September 2016 marked 12 consecutive months of declines in visitor arrivals from Canada. September is typically the second slowest month of travel from Canada to the Islands, following June. The country’s economic challenges continued to impact travel to Hawai‘i.
Highlights from All Other Markets:
• Australia: Visitor arrivals in September 2016 (-2.3% to 39,525) declined year-over-year for the first time in four months. Through the first nine months of 2016 visitor arrivals exceeded the same period last year (+2.1% to 255,336). Year-to-date, daily spending rose to $275 per person from $267 per person for the same period last year.
• New Zealand: Visitor arrivals have increased year-over-year for the last four months, with growth reflected in September 2016 (+11.2% to 8,423). Arrivals have also grown year-to-date (+2.1% to 50,428).
• China: Growth in visitor arrivals have fluctuated throughout the year. In September 2016, arrivals increased (+4.1% to 16,552) but year-to-date, arrivals were down slightly (-1.2% to 138,141). Daily visitor spending year-to-date in 2016 was down compared to last year (-6.1% to $367 per person), but China continued to be the highest of all visitor markets.
• Korea: Visitor arrivals have increased every month year-over-year. Arrivals rose by double-digits in both September 2016 (+21.7% to 17,473) and year-to-date 2016 (+19% to 159,003). Visitors spent more on a daily basis year-to-date ($289 per person) compared to 2015 ($285 per person).
• Taiwan: Visitor arrivals in September 2016 (+0.4% to 1,315) and through the first nine months of 2016 (+0.5% to 13,556) were similar to last year.
• Europe: Total combined visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland increased in September 2016 (+5.2% to 15,564) but declined through the first nine months (-2.5% to 109,488) year-over-year.
• Latin America: Visitor arrivals from Mexico, Brazil and Argentina decreased in September 2016 (-1% to 1,867) and for the first nine months (-7.6% to 19,699) compared to last year.
