Total visitor spending crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of May, marking the earliest that figure has been reached in a calendar year on Kaua‘i.
The spending total soared to $1.08 billion in the five-month period ended May 31, according to a monthly report from the state of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
That was up 31.1 percent from $823.9 million in the same five-month period of 2022, and 40.7 percent from $767.6 million in the same five-month period of pre-pandemic 2019.
Total visitor spending has exceeded $200 million in each month of the current calendar year, with the highest month being January at $234.6 million.
The whopping increases in spending were posted amid a backdrop of more people visiting the Garden Island.
In the first five months of this year, there were a total of 563,713 visitors to Kaua‘i. That was up 10.4 percent from 510,622 in the same five months of 2022, and 2.2 percent from 551,749 in the same five months of pre-pandemic 2019.
Neighbor islands
Visitor spending on O‘ahu weighed in at $3.56 billion in the five-month period ended May 31, compared with $3.22 billion and $3.29 billion in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
But visitor counts were mixed on O‘ahu. There were a total of 2,241,408 visitors to O‘ahu in the first five months of the year, compared with 1,822,584 and 2,462,487 in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
Visitor spending on Maui totaled $2.85 billion in the five-month period ended May 31, compared with $2.24 billion and $2.13 billion in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
Visitor counts were also mixed on Maui. There were a total of 1,209,621 visitors to Maui in the first five months of the year, compared with 1,117,725 and 1,226,608 in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
Visitor spending on Hawai‘i Island measured $1.17 billion in the five-month period ended May 31, compared with $1.04 billion and $949.7 million in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
There were a total of 721,747 visitors to Hawai‘i Island in the first five months of the year, compared with 655,286 and 716,797 in the same five-month periods of 2022 and 2019.
Looking ahead
There is some hope the island chain’s tourism industry will get a boost later this year from the international market, which has been somewhat sluggish in part because of unfavorable currency exchange rates.
“It is anticipated that more Japanese visitors will return, as the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and Japanese yen is forecast to drop from the current 140 yen per U.S. dollar to 130 yen per U.S. dollar by the end of the year,” said Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism Director James Kunane Tokioka in a statement that accompanied the monthly report.
