Hawai‘i Visitor Statistics Released for 2019

For Immediate Release: January 29, 2020
HTA Release (20-03)

2020-01-29 Hawaii Visitor Statistics Released for December 2019

HONOLULU – Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent $17.75 billion in 2019, an increase of 1.4 percent compared to 2018, according to preliminary year-end statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Visitor spending includes lodging, interisland airfare, shopping, food, car rental and other expenses while in Hawaii.

Spending by visitors generated $2.07 billion in state tax revenue in 2019, an increase of $28.5 million (+1.4%) from 2018. Additionally, 216,000 jobs statewide were supported by Hawaii’s tourism industry in 2019.

Tourism dollars from the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), which visitors pay when they stay in legal accommodations, helped to fund more than a hundred nonprofits, festivals and events statewide in 2019. They include the Merrie Monarch Festival, Aloha Festivals, the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival, the Okinawan Festival, the Kauai Chocolate and Coffee Festival, the Nature Conservancy, and the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. 

In 2019, visitor spending increased from the U.S. West (+5.9% to $6.98 billion), U.S. East (+3.6% to $4.69 billion) and Japan (+2.0% to $2.19 billion), but declined from Canada (-3.2% to $1.07 billion) and All Other International Markets (-10.4% to $2.77 billion) compared to 2018.

On a statewide level, average daily spending by visitors in 2019 decreased to $195 per person
(-1.5%). Visitors from U.S. East (+1.7% to $214) and Canada (+0.6% to $165) spent more per day, while visitors from Japan (-0.6% to $240), U.S. West (-0.5% to $175) and All Other International Markets (-8.5% to $217) spent less compared to 2018.

A total of 10,424,995 visitors came to Hawaii in 2019, an increase of 5.4 percent from the 9,888,845 visitors in 2018. Total visitor days rose 3.0 percent in 2019. On average, there were 249,021 visitors in the Hawaiian Islands on any given day in 2019, up 3.0 percent from 2018.

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

In 2019, Oahu recorded increases in visitor spending (+2.8% to $8.19 billion) and visitor arrivals (+5.6% to 6,193,027), but daily spending declined (-1.6%) compared to 2018. Visitor spending on Maui also increased (+2.4% to $5.12 billion) as growth in visitor arrivals (+5.4% to 3,071,596) offset lower daily spending (-0.6%). The island of Hawaii reported declines in visitor spending (-1.0% to $2.33 billion) and daily spending (-2.9%), but visitor arrivals increased (+4.3% to 1,779,526). Kauai

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