A total of 8,282,680 visitors came to the Hawaiian Islands in 2014, exceeding the 2013 record of 8,174,461 visitors by 1.3 percent, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
"By increasing visitor arrivals and spending to the majority of the Hawaiian Islands we have been able to grow the benefits of tourism statewide, reinforcing our efforts to diversify Hawaii’s tourism economy by distributing visitors across the state," said Ronald Williams, CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority in a written statement.
Annual 2014 total visitor expenditures grew 2.3 percent to $14.7 billion. On average, 205,044 visitors were in the state on any given day in 2014 (average daily census), an increase of 1.1 percent from 2013.
"Visitor arrivals from Hawaii's core North America market picked up during the second half of the year, supported by increased seat inventory, which provided more options for connectivity and resulted in lower airfares due to increased competition in the market," said Williams. "As oil prices remain low, airlines continue to improve their operational costs, which we anticipate will lead to continued growth in air seats and arrivals from North America through the first half of this year."
For the month of December 2014, total visitor expenditures rose three percent (nearly $41.5 million) to $1.4 billion, boosted by a 6.2 percent growth in total arrivals (to 765,267 visitors). The average daily spending of $191 per person was down from $195 per person in December 2013.
Visit www.gohaawaii.com.