Through April, Kauai saw a sharp rise in visitors and spending. According to a report released Thursday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kauai had 101,923 visitors in April, up 9.3 percent from April 2016. Visitor spending in April totaled $140.6
Through April, Kauai saw a sharp rise in visitors and spending.
According to a report released Thursday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kauai had 101,923 visitors in April, up 9.3 percent from April 2016. Visitor spending in April totaled $140.6 million, a 13.5 percent increase from April 2016.
For the first four months of the year, Kauai has had 397,398 visitors, a 6.5 percent increase from the same time frame last year. Visitor spending through April was $637.6 million, an 18.9 percent increase from the first four months of 2016
Statewide, visitors spent a total of $1.3 billion in the Hawaiian Islands in April, an increase of 9 percent compared to a year ago, according HTA.
Total visitor arrivals also grew 7.5 percent to 752,964 visitors. Hawaii’s four largest visitor markets, U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan and Canada, all realized growth in visitor spending and arrivals in April compared to a year ago.
“April was a better month than expected, with the Easter holiday and Golden Week in Japan contributing to increased travel demand,” said George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of the HTA.
“The economies of Hawaii’s four major islands felt the positive impact of these results, highlighted by Maui, Kauai and the island of Hawaii all reporting double-digit growth in visitor spending,” he added.
The state’s tax revenue base continues to benefit from the success of Hawaii’s tourism industry, Szigeti said.
Through the first four months, $657.2 million in tax revenue has been produced for the state, which is an increase of $60.2 million, or 10.1 percent, over last year.