HONOLULU (KHON2) — April 2024 brought some changes in Hawaii’s visitor scene. According to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, fewer folks made their way to the islands compared to last year.
In April 2024, there were 753,551 visitors, marking an 8.9% drop from April 2023. Spending followed suit, with a 12.6% decrease, totaling $1.51 billion.
Air service remained the primary mode of arrival, with 721,855 visitors flying in, mainly from the U.S. west and U.S. east. However, the number of visitors arriving by cruise ships, at 31,695, saw a decline.
Despite the decrease, there’s a glimmer of recovery when compared to pre-pandemic levels. April 2024 saw an 88.7% recovery in visitor arrivals from April 2019, with spending surpassing the 2019 figures by 14.3%.
Digging deeper, visitors from the U.S. west totaled 390,111, down from last year but slightly up from 2019. Although there was a drop in spending from this group compared to last year, it was significantly higher than in 2019. Visitors from the U.S. east followed a similar trend.
On the international front, Japanese visitors saw a notable increase from last year but remained lower than in 2019. However, their spending in April 2024 showed an upward trend compared to both years.
Canadian visitors, on the other hand, saw a slight decrease in numbers but spent more per person compared to previous years.
In April 2024, there were also fewer visitors from other international markets, including Oceania, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
When it comes to flights, there were fewer transpacific flights servicing Hawaii in April 2024 compared to previous years, indicating a possible impact on visitor numbers.