LIHU‘E — A post-pandemic bounceback appears to be in full swing on the island of Kaua‘i, as evidenced by strong gains in visitor numbers and tourism spending last month.
The number of people who visited Kaua‘i climbed to 105,145 in September from 93,501 in September 2019, according to data released Thursday, Oct. 27, from the state Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism. That marked an increase of 12.5 percent from the pre-pandemic era in September 2019.
Those visitors also proved willing to dive into their bank accounts while on Kaua‘i, as spending surged 29.3 percent to $170.7 million in September from $132 million in September 2019.
Additionally, the average daily census on Kaua‘i was 26,136 visitors last month, compared with 21,967 visitors in the same period of 2019. That marked a gain of 19 percent.
Neighboring islands posted hefty numbers in September as well. All told, visitor spending in the four counties weighed in at approximately $1.45 billion in September.
The September numbers kept the state on a path toward a full rebound from the COVID-19 era in spite of a number of factors that are dragging down the U.S. and global economies at this time.
“(The Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism) remains positive that Hawai‘i will achieve a full recovery by 2025 despite a strong dollar, global inflation and fossil fuel supply chain disruptions due to the Ukraine-Russian war,” said Mike McCartney, department director, in a statement.
“It’s important to note that, on average, every visitor in Hawai‘i spends about $2,100 per trip while staying in our islands, which adds about $250 in state tax revenue (per person, per trip), not including county tax revenue generation. It’s also important to note that every 50 visitors support one job in the state.”
Island highlights
The island of O‘ahu drew the most visitors in September, at 385,525. But that figure was down 15.9 percent from 458,588 in September 2019.
On the bright side, visitor spending soared to $680.1 million from $607.3 million in the same period. That was up 12 percent.
The average daily census on O‘ahu was 90,476 visitors in September, compared with 101,093 visitors in September 2019, the department data showed.
The county of Maui drew the second highest number of visitors in September at 218,468. That was up 4 percent from 210,108 in September 2019. At the same time, visitor spending leaped to $415.3 million from $339.7 million, or up 22.3 percent.
The average daily census in Maui County was 55,720 visitors in September, compared with 52,053 in September 2019. That marked an increase of 7 percent, the department data showed.
Hawai‘i Island ranked third with total visitors, as that figure totaled 118,078 in September, up 5.3 percent from 112,138 in September 2019. Visitor spending was $192.8 million, compared with $145.9 million in the same comparable period. That marked a gain of 32.1 percent.
The average daily census on Hawai‘i Island was 33,142 in September, compared with 26,750 in September 2019, or 23.9 percent, the department data showed.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
