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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, nearly 8 million visitors came to the state in 2012, topping the previous high of 7.6 million in 2006. Beachgoers crowded under umbrellas at Waikiki Beach on Tuesday.
State tourism officials say the industry should continue to grow next year but at a slower pace.
Hawaii Tourism Authority Vice President David Uchiyama said today he expects 8.75 million visitors will come to Hawaii in 2014.
That’s about 3 percent more than the 8.48 million visitors projected to arrive this year.
But it’s less than the 5 percent increase in visitors the industry is expected to get this year. It’s also significantly less than 2012’s 10 percent climb in visitor arrivals.
Uchiyama says average daily spending should rise 2.6 percent to more than $200 a person in 2014. But he says prices are starting to hit the upward limits of what leisure travelers are willing to spend.
Uchiyama spoke at the tourism authority’s 2013 Tourism Conference in Honolulu.
