Nearly as many out-of-state visitors arrived in Hawaii last month as they did in March 2019.
According to data from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, 788,931 visitors traveled to the state in March, compared to 928,849 in March 2019. On the Big Island, 141,854 people visited the island, an 11% decrease from 2019, when 161,087 visited.
“March was a very strong month for us and everyone in the state, really,” said Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau Executive Director Ross Birch. “We’re having fewer visitors, but they’re staying longer and spending more.”
DBEDT reported that visitors from nearly every sector spent considerably more this year in the state than in 2019. Visitors from the western United States have spent an average of $221 per person per day during the first quarter of the year, up from the average daily spending of $180 in 2019. Visitors from the eastern U.S. spent $238 per day, compared to $209 per day in 2019.
In total, visitors spent $217 million on the Big Island last month, compared to $200 million in March 2019.
Birch said the high volume of travelers in March was not the result of the state dropping COVID-19 restrictions such as Safe Travels Hawaii — that program ended on March 25, too late in the month to noticeably affect the data.
Most of the travel to the state in the first quarter had been booked months in advance — and the pace of bookings throughout the summer appears to be on pace, he said.
In fact, there were more domestic visitors to Hawaii last month than there were in March 2019. The shortfall in visitation continues to be a lack of international travelers.
DBEDT reports that Canadian visitors were down 29% in March from 2019, even though the average Canadian visitor spent more daily this year than 2019. And Japanese travelers are still a mere trickle, with March visitation rates down by 97%.
Birch said there could be a minor spike in Japanese arrivals corresponding with Japan’s Golden Week, which begins today.
“But that’s a 100% increase in a 10% market,” Birch added.
Japan lifted some quarantine restrictions for returning residents in March, and increased its maximum allowable number of inbound flights. Birch said he expects the nation to continue to drop restrictions throughout the summer, with Japanese visitation rates swelling accordingly.
Meanwhile, the number of cruise ship passengers arriving in the state is still low. DBEDT reports that 3,216 passengers on out-of-state cruise ships arrived in the islands in March, compared to 11,824 in March 2019. Birch said cruise lines are still ramping up their schedules after years of suspension because of the pandemic, with ships operating at half-capacity.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.