Hawaii Continues Logging Strong Visitor Numbers

Visitors to Hawaii during the first eight months of the year have been freer with their wallets compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data issued by the state's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. According to this report, overall visitor spending hit $1.1 billion in August, up by 3.5 percent from August 2005. For the first eight months of the year, total visitor spending is up by 4.5 percent to $8.1 billion; this increase comes despite basically flat total visitor days over the eight-month span. Domestic arrivals also set a record for August, up by seven-tenths of a percent to 512,631 travelers. Through August, domestic arrivals are up by 2.2 percent to more than 3.7 million travelers, setting a record for the period.