Hawaii Sees Record Tourism Numbers in January 2018

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) reported that visitor spending generated $1.69 billion in January 2018, the highest monthly total Hawaii has ever experienced. It’s a 4.9% increase from January 2017 and the highest statewide total for visitor spending ever recorded for a single month in Hawaii’s history.

“We are fortunate that Hawaii’s tourism industry began 2018 with outstanding results in January, highlighted by a record monthly total of $1.69 billion in visitor spending statewide. It’s notable that Maui, Kauai and the island of Hawaii all achieved new record monthly totals as well in visitor spending,” George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of the HTA said.

A majority of the increased spending occurred on Maui, up 18% from last year. The island of Hawaii saw a 1.8% increase and Kaui had a 2.3% increase.

“A benefit of tourism’s success in January is that $197 million in state tax revenue was generated, which is also a record monthly total. This is tax revenue that is strengthening our State at the government level, while the increased visitor spending is helping to support businesses and jobs for residents in communities throughout the state,” he said.

The increased visitors in January came mostly from air service with 784,237 arrivals by air, up 5.4% from last year. Arrivals by cruise ship were down 29.7% from a year ago, accounting for 12,246 arrivals.

“HTA’s marketing team is working hard in our 10 target markets worldwide to drive travel demand for the Hawaiian Islands and help stave off the intense competition coming from other global destinations. We appreciate the continued support of our travel industry partners, as keeping Hawaii tourism strong for the future is a collective team effort,” Szigeti said.