For the fifth straight year, Kaua’i hosted over one million visitors, according to figures from the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT). Last year, 1,004,696 visitors came to Kaua’i, down 6.5 percent from the 1,074,821 arrivals in
For the fifth straight year, Kaua’i hosted over one million visitors, according to figures from the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT).
Last year, 1,004,696 visitors came to Kaua’i, down 6.5 percent from the 1,074,821 arrivals in 2000 and the lowest million-plus year of the last five (please see the chart).
The number of Kaua’i-only visitors was down 5.8 percent last year (352,352) compared to 2000, when 373,854 visitors chose Kaua’i and Kaua’i alone as a vacation destination.
Kaua’i greeted 71,216 visitors last month, down almost 16 percent from the 84,632 arrivals in December 2000. Again, numbers of Kaua’i-only visitors plunged, 10.5 percent, to 27,474 last month compared to 30,699 in December 2000.
The state as a whole, and each individual county, suffered similar downturns in visitor arrivals both for the year and month.
Visitors from the U.S. west geographic area, targeted after September 11th because of their perceived ability to resume travel to Hawai’i after the terrorist events, were down for Kaua’i between 8.5 percent and 9 percent for the month (Kaua’i and Kaua’i-only visitors, respectively), but only off by around 3 percent for the year, compared to what was by all accounts a record-breaking 2000.
Japanese visitors to the island were off just 3 percent for the year compared to 2000, though Kaua’i experienced a significant drop in Canadian visitors (the second-most-important international market) that will be felt into 2002 as Canada 3000, a charter air carrier which had brought thousands of Canadian visitors a year to Kaua’i each week each winter, went out of business after September 11th.
“We are encouraged by the steady improvements of recent months and the resilience of the U.S. west and the cruise segments despite the challenges of the current market,” said Dr. Seiji Naya, DBEDT director.
“We are hopeful that bills passed by the Legislature in the special session, including the $100 million extra appropriation for public construction projects, the additional $10 million for emergency tourism marketing and the $36 million to improve security at airports, harbors and highways will help stabilize our visitor industry,” said Naya.
