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Tourism performance soars at midyear

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Beachgoers at the beach in Waikiki on July 22. Visitor arrivals and spending grew for the 13th straight month in June keeping the state’s midyear tourism performance headed for a blistering full-year finish.

Visitor arrivals and spending grew for the 13th straight month in June keeping the state’s midyear tourism performance headed for a blistering full-year finish.

Arrivals in June rose 4.5 percent to 835,918 and total spending increased 3.7 percent to $1.4 billion, according to preliminary statistics released by the Hawaii Tourism Authority this morning. June arrivals rose from the U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan and Canada markets, but declined from the cruise ship market and the market called all others, which includes all foreign markets outside of Japan and Canada. June visitor spending grew from every market, expect cruise ships, the U.S. West and the all others category.

During the first six months of the year, visitor arrivals grew 4.3 percent to 4.6 million visitors and spending rose 8.7 percent to $8.4 billion. Year to date, arrivals grew from every market but the all others category. Midyear spending rose in all markets except cruise ships and the all others category.

“Our state’s economy benefited from the consistently strong travel demand that Hawaii realized in the first half of the year, especially from the mainland U.S., Japan and Canada,” said HTA President and CEO George D. Szigeti.

Air seats to Hawaii increased 1.7 percent in June to 1,066,012. Air capacity to the Hawaiian Islands through June dropped a scant 0.6 percent to 6,004,333 seats compared to the same period last year.

Szigeti said the increase in visitor spending statewide through the first six months “ strengthened Hawaii’s economy as a whole and also generated $976 million in state tax revenue, an increase of $78.3 million.”

Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii island realized growth in visitor spending in June and through the middle of the year.

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