LIHU‘E — Visitor spending is on the rise, according to preliminary statistics released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Total spending by visitors who came to the islands in January 2022 was $1.40 billion, compared to $397.9 million spent in January 2021.
Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic and Hawai‘i’s quarantine requirements for travelers, the state achieved record-level visitor expenditures and arrivals in 2019 through February 2020. January 2022 visitor spending was lower compared to $1.73 billion (-19.0%) spent in January 2020 and $1.62 billion (-13.5%) reported for January 2019.
A total of 574,183 visitors came in January 2022. Of that number, 567,179 visitors arrived by air, mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East.
Cruise operations resumed in January 2022 with the arrival of seven cruise ships that brought another 7,004 visitors to the state. In comparison, 171,976 visitors (+233.9%) arrived by air only in January 2021 since there were no cruise ship activities in 2021, versus 857,066 visitors (-33.0%) who came by air and by cruise ships in January 2020, and 817,600 visitors (-29.8%) who arrived by air and by cruise ships in January 2019.
“We are pleased to see another milestone in the visitor-industry
recovery with over 7,000 cruise visitors in January 2022 after 21 months of suspension,” DBEDT Director Mike McCartney said. “Cruise activity is an important part of the overall tourism in the state, with cruise visitors accounting for 2.6% of Hawai‘i’s total visitors in 2019.”
But new COVID-19 variants like omicron affected travel.
“…Visitor arrivals in January 2022 were over 70% of the January 2019 level, indicating that the demand for Hawai‘i visitation remains strong, especially from the U.S. mainland,” McCartney said. “Visitation by the U.S. visitors has been surpassing the 2019 levels since May 2021.”
For the summer, McCartney expects to see more international travel.
“Global travel is opening up, and we are seeing pent-up demand. We expect a strong summer, and look forward to welcoming international visitors from Australia, New Zealand and Japan in the second half of the year,” McCartney said.
“Hard decisions were made to protect our communities, so as we see positive movement, we must continue to remain vigilant and strategically monitor the stability of COVID-19 spread and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as it affects oil prices, air lift and consumer demand for travel.”
In January 2022, domestic passengers could bypass the state’s mandatory five-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated in the United States or had a valid negative COVID-19 test.
Cruise ships coming to Hawai‘i beginning in January 2022 are required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the state Department of Transportation Harbors Division. Cruise lines are required to follow strict health and safety protocols under the Hawai‘i’s Safe Travels program, including vaccination, COVID-19 testing, and have a dedicated medical staff on board, cabins for isolation, and a contingency plan with local hospitals to handle any COVID issues.
The average daily census was 202,071 visitors in January 2022, compared to 80,770 visitors in January 2021, versus 268,423 visitors in January 2020 and 262,235 visitors in January 2019.
In January 2022, a total of 4,943 trans-Pacific flights with 1,036,109 seats serving the Hawaiian Islands landed, compared to 2,856 flights with 593,981 seats in January 2021, and versus 5,419 flights with 1,202,300 seats in January 2020 and 5,158 flights with 1,134,182 seats in January 2019.
“The visitor industry continues to be a driver of job growth, career opportunities and economic diversification,” Hawai‘i Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries said.
“We continue our mission to malama ku‘u home (care for our beloved home), working diligently to achieve the balance desired by our communities for the well-being of Hawai‘i and generations to come.”
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
