In 2002 the state of Hawaii generated a 10 per cent share of international arrivals in the USA, or just over 2 million - the fourth highest behind New York, Florida and California. Total arrivals increased by nearly 2 per cent to 6.5 million, and visitor days were up 4 per cent to 60.5 million. Estimates from Hawaii`s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) suggest that, of the total arrivals, 4.3 million visited the capital of Honolulu on the island of Oahu - the same level as in 2001.

The resort of Waikiki alone accounts for some 44 per cent of all visitors present in the state on an average day, as well as about 8 per cent of Hawaii`s gross state product and 10 per cent of civilian jobs state-wide for the year. These figures come from a new report by the DBEDT - the first in a series of reports that will focus on the economic contribution to Hawaii`s economy of major resort areas around the state. The report says that Waikiki also accounts for about 45 per cent of all visitor units in the state such as hotels, condominiums and other accommodation. More than 30,000 workers are employed in the Waikiki area including the adjacent Kapahulu area. In addition, the 1,600 businesses in this area paid over US$800 million in salaries in 2000.

Average length of stay for the Hawaiian islands as a whole was 9.4 days in 2002, up 2.5 per cent over the previous year. This average clearly masked variations from one source market to another, with Europeans and Canadians generating the highest stays.

Total visitor expenditure in Hawaii rose 7 per cent in 2002 to more than US$9.8 billion and average daily spend per air arrival increased from US$159 to US$163. Although spending by visitors arriving by cruise ship comprised only 0.5 per cent of total visitor spending, it was up 43 per cent over the previous year`s level due to a surge in cruise visitors.

Spending by visitors from the US West Coast represented the largest portion of the total, at 36 per cent, followed by that of US East Coast visitors at 28 per cent. Spending by Japanese visitors declined by three points to a 21 per cent share overall. Despite lower arrivals and a slightly shorter average length of stay, average daily spending per Japanese visitor rose 2 per cent and remains the highest among all visitor groups at US$232 per day. However, while Japanese visitors spent the most on a daily basis, their average length of stay was the shortest among all visitors to the islands, which resulted in their having only the fifth highest per trip expenditure at US$1,371. European visitors spent the most per trip at US$1,764 (+20 per cent).

Cruise ship business is of growing importance to Hawaii. The number of visitors on cruise ships touring the islands increased by 52 per cent in 2002, to 242,000 passengers - of which 97 per cent from out of state - and the first quarter of 2003 saw a further 16 per cent rise. In the last full year a total of 27 Hawaii-home-based and out-of-state cruise ships made 133 tours around the islands.

The total average length of stay by out-of-state visitors in 2002 was seven days. In addition to an average 4.6 days spent on board ship, an average 1.2 days was spent on shore after the end of the cruise and 1.2 days before it started. Passengers from Canada stay the longest - before and after their respective cruises. Average spend by out-of-state cruise visitors is about US$100 per person per day. Interestingly, US East coast visitors spend the most - US$105, or US$12 per day more than European cruise passengers.