Japanese visitors rebound a year after earthquake

BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

In this Feb .28, 2012 file photo, Kapi'olani Ha'o, kumu hula of Halau Ke Kia'i A O Hula, left, and her son, Leo Ha'o, right, teaches her Japanese student, Tomoko Nakamura of Kanagawa, Japan, second from right, the song "Kauluwehi O Ke Kai" a song about the riches found in the sea. Nakamura came to take lessons from Ha'o and take what she learned back to Japan. Also dancing was Lei Ho'oheno.

Japanese visitor arrivals in Hawaii rebounded sharply in March from the earthquake and tsunami of a year ago.

Although coming off of a low base, Japan visitors jumped 27 percent to 114,055 while their spending grew 25.3 percent to $186.8 million, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Overall, total visitor spending rose 16.9 percent and total arrivals were up by 12.9 percent.

Some 714,973 visitors came to Hawaii last month and spent $1.17 billion or approximately $177 per person, per day, which equated to about $10 more per day than they spent in February 2011.

Total spending by visitors from the U.S. East Market dropped by 0.7 percent; however, visitors originating from the U.S. West, Canada, Japan, cruise ships, and all other markets spent more this March than they did during the same month last year.

Visitor arrivals and spending rose across all major markets and islands except for Molokai and Lanai.

Visitors from Hawaii's core U.S. West market rose 11.4 percent to 264,956. Arrivals from the U.S. East, Hawaii's higher spending domestic market, only rose by 2.2 percent to 162,931. Visitor counts from Canada jumped by 6.6 percent to 72,882.