US (HAWAII). Japanese visitor arrivals to Hawaii fell by -23.5% year-on-year in April to 63,667 following the 11 March earthquake and tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The sharp drop resulted in a -13.3% fall in total Japanese visitor spending to US$105.4 million, less than anticipated. Those who came during the month spent an average of US$272 per person per day, up from US$258 per person in April 2010. A stronger Yen, which boosted shopping and food and beverage spending, contributed to the increase in daily spending, the authority said.
Spending at DFS, Hawaii’s leading travel retailer, is understood to have held up strongly through April and May, buoyed both by the strong Yen and a fast-rising Chinese clientele base.
Japanese group tour visitors declined sharply in both March and April (March: -35.6% to 24,088 visitors; April: -48.7% to 14,610) compared to the same months last year.
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Total spending by Japanese visitors for the first four months of 2011 was US$603.7 million, an increase of +9.6% compared to the same period last year. Japanese arrivals declined -4.0% over the four months. However, average daily spending was higher at US$281 per person compared to US$255 per person in the first four months of 2010.
Across all nationalities total visitor spending rose +20.2% year-on-year to US$920.7 million. Total arrivals grew +5.3% to 581,324. The average daily spending by all visitors in April 2011 was US$176, up from US$159 per person in April 2010. A comparison of that number with the average Japanese daily spend for April (US$272) underlines the importance of this nationality to Hawaii’s tourism and travel retail sectors.
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