LIHUE — October saw an increase in visitors to The Garden Isle, who also spent a lot of money while here. The number of tourists who came to Kauai in October reached 94,747, a 3.1 percent increase from October 2015,
LIHUE — October saw an increase in visitors to The Garden Isle, who also spent a lot of money while here.
The number of tourists who came to Kauai in October reached 94,747, a 3.1 percent increase from October 2015, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Kauai, along with the Big Island and Maui, saw double-digit increases in visitor spending for each of the past two months. In October, visitors to Kauai generated $132.8 million, a 16.8 percent increase from 2015.
The increase in visitor spending is a trend seen throughout the state. Last month, visitors to Hawaii spent $1.2 billion, a 6.8 percent from October 2015. It is also the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year growth, according to HTA.
“Hawaii’s tourism industry began the fourth quarter with the best October on record, both in visitor arrivals and spending,” said George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of HTA. “With the peak holiday travel season upon us, the state of Hawaii is in excellent position to set new yearly records in both categories, as well as generated state tax revenue.”
Through October, Kauai has seen 991,834 visitors, up slightly, .5 percent, from the first 10 months of last year. Those visitors spent $1.4 billion, an 8.5 percent increase from the same time frame in 2015.
The total number of visitor arrivals in October in Hawaii broke a new record, reaching 717,486, a 4.3 percent increase.
“The growth in visitor spending continues to strengthen the tax revenue base for the entire state. Hawaii’s tourism industry has produced $1.37 billion in state tax revenue through October, an increase of $52 million over last year,” Szigeti said. “It’s gratifying to know how much tourism is contributing to Hawaii’s economic success and supporting government services that all of our communities need.”
