Hawaii visitor spending continues to grow

Double-digit increases in visitor expenditures across the four major islands and Moloka’i for September contributed to an increase of US$1.7 billion in year-to-date spending over 2011, says a recent report by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). Total spending year to date is now US$10.7 billion. While arrivals increased at a slower rate than in recent months, the pace of expenditure growth has not weakened, said the HTA. “As we head into the fourth quarter, we anticipate the momentum to continue with increases in airlift,”said Mike McCartney, president & CEO of the HTA. Amongst the new routes are flights by Allegiant from Bellingham, WA, near the border with British Columbia. With some sales prices on one-way flights posted at $99 (including taxes), these are drawing Canadian customers across the US border. Other new routes are Hawaiian Airlines from Sapporo and Brisbane, and Jetstar from Melbourne. These new routes all service secondary cities, which provide greater ease of access to Hawaii for previously underserved visitors.