Daily visitor spending dropped slightly on Kaua’i (from $146 to $143 per person) for the first nine months of 2003 according to statistics provided by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) yesterday. In the organization’s report
Daily visitor spending dropped slightly on Kaua’i (from $146 to $143 per person) for the first nine months of 2003 according to statistics provided by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) yesterday.
In the organization’s report of visitors to the island, Kaua’i did show increases in several areas including single-island visitation and U.S. West lodging, food and beverage and entertainment expenditures.
“The statistics from this survey showcase the diversity and uniqueness of each island in the type of visitors they attract, their choice of accommodations, and their purpose of trips,” said Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert.
“Visitor spending is our gauge as to what impact visitors have on our economy.”
Results from the DBEDT survey showed that first-timers accounted for the majority of out-of-state visitors to Kaua’i (53 percent), while the majority of visitors (80 percent) to the island did so for vacation and pleasure, while 12 percent came to marry or honeymoon.
A little over 50 percent of the respondents on Kaua’i were from the U.S. West.
All Neighbor Islands including Kaua’i reported a higher percentage of U.S. West respondents compared to year-to-date 2002 (1.3 percent increase) data.
U.S. East visitors comprised about 36 percent of all Kaua’i visitors, off 2.6 percent from the same time in 2002. Kaua’i Visitors Bureau officials aim for a 50-percent split between U.S. East (east of the Rocky Mountains) and U.S. West visitors in the domestic market.
Visitors surveyed on Kaua’i reported their average length of stay at 6.71 days. That figure was down from 7.25 days in 2002, a drop of 7.5 percent.
Over half of the respondents (51.7 percent) on Kaua’i stayed exclusively on this island in Hawai’i, marking an 11.6-percent increase from the same period in 2002.
Respondents who stayed on Kaua’i reported spending an average of $57 per person per day, the second most among the islands ($77 on Maui).
Results from all of those surveyed on Kaua’i showed that nearly half (47 percent) stayed in hotels, while 26.7 percent stayed in condos.
A little over 39 percent stay exclusively in hotels.
U.S. West visitors spent $55 per day for lodging over the first nine months of 2003, almost an $8 increase from the same time in 2002.
U.S. West respondents spent $28.94 per day on meals for 2003. Total entertainment expenditures increased from $9.16 in 2002 to $13.48 this year.
Total lodging for U.S. East visitors jumped from $56.31 in 2002 to $62.22 for the same period this year. Total entertainment expenditures increased from $14.33 a year ago to $21.16 for the same time this year.
Kaua’i visitors spent an average amount of $30 per person on food and beverages, a little over a dollar less than in 2002.
The average daily expenditure for entertainment jumped from $10.87 in 2002 to $16.08 for 2003. Shopping figures per person per day were essentially identical over the last two years ($17.81 last year, $17.60 this year).
Daily spending by Hawai’i-resident visitors during the first nine months of 2003 was the highest on Maui ($92 per person) while Kaua’i averaged $76 per person.
Business Editor Barry Graham may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or mailto:bgraham@pulitzer.net.
