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Despite Declines, August was Still a Strong Month for Tourism

Cristo Vlahos
/
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

August was another month of growth for the state’s tourism industry, but only slightly.

That’s according to the latest monthly report from the Hawai?i Tourism Authority.

Overall, visitor spending and arrivals increased in the state during August. Spending grew by 1.4% to $1.4 billion, but average daily expenditures declined by 2.2% to $193 per person.

A total of 845,000 visitors arrived in the islands that month - an increase of 3.2 percent. The state continued to see more visitors from the U.S. mainland and Canada, but there were less visitors from Japan.

O?ahu recorded a 3.5% growth in visitor spending to $723.4 million. The island also saw a 3.7% increase in visitor arrivals to 536,181.

Kaua?i also performed well during the month, recording a 7% increase in visitor spending to $157.7 million and more than 115,000 visitors arriving to the island - a 3% increase.

Although O?ahu and Kaua?i performed well, Maui County and Hawai?i Island saw declines.

Jennifer Chun is the HTA’s Director of Tourism Research.

Chun says last month could have been stronger – but it was still a good month because it’s being compared to a record-breaking August 2017.

Casey Harlow was an HPR reporter and occasionally filled in as local host of Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
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