Tourism is up in Hawaii in a significant way, a recent news release from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) said.
A total of 842,927 tourists visited the Hawaiian Islands in June 2022, the release said. That represents an 89% recovery from June 2019. While the recovery rate in June was lower than the previous two months, the visitor count for that month was the second-best since January 2020. Additionally, visitors spent $1.83 billion in the state in June 2022, an increase of 12.3% compared to the $1.63 billion reported for June 2019.
"We continue to be optimistic in the recovery of the visitor industry for the prosperity of our communities and businesses but know that with the reach of the Omircron’s new variant, the visitor industry’s healthy return can easily be impacted,” DBEDT Director Mike McCartney said in the release. “Continuing to practice COVID safe health habits is foremost in keeping Hawai‘i economically robust.”
A closer look at the numbers showed that of the total visitors, 841,809 arrived by air service, mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East. Also 1,118 visitors arrived by cruise ships. The average length of stay by all visitors in June 2022 was 9.44 days, which was up from 8.80 days (+7.2%) in June 2019.
The release also indicated that visitors are spending more money. U.S. West visitors spent $963.3 million in June 2022, up 39.4% from $691.2 million in June 2019. Daily spending by U.S. West visitors in June 2022 ($215 per person) was 25.9% higher than in June 2019 ($171 per person).
“Average daily visitor spending in Hawaii increased significantly for the first half of 2022, in comparison to pre-pandemic 2019, with higher gains from the U.S. West, U.S. East and Canada markets,” Hawaii Tourism Authority president and CEO John De Fries said in the release. “This significant shift indicates our current visitors are spending substantially more on their Hawaii trip, counter to the misperception that we are seeing a lower-spending, budget traveler.”
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