The number of people vacationing in Hawaiçi — as well as the amount they spent — dipped slightly last month, according to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Total visitor arrivals in November declined 1.4 percent from the same month last year to 490,514 visitors,
Decreased arrivals led to a 2.2 percent decline in total spending by visitors arriving by air to $771 million for November. The average daily spending by these visitors was $174 per person, down slightly from $175 per person in November 2008.
Overall, there was a 2 percent drop in total visitor days from November 2008. The average length of stay by all visitors was 9.22 days, slightly lower than the 9.27 days in November 2008.
Among the top four visitor markets, arrivals by air from U.S. West fell 3.7 percent from November 2008, after six consecutive months of positive growth.
Arrivals dropped from the U.S. East (-7.8 percent) and Canada (-7.4 percent) compared to last November. Arrivals from Japan rose for the third consecutive month, up 7.9 percent from November 2008.
Mike McCartney, President & chief executive officer of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, echoed industry sentiment that November — traditionally a slow month for tourism — was expected to be down after the challenging year even though some recent months have show signs of recovery.
“However, the good news is that we are continuing to trend ahead of and gain market share from some of our main competitors for our North America market including Mexico and the Caribbean,” McCartney said.
According to market research data released as a result of monitoring the blitzes conducted in North America, Hawai‘i has seen positive market share growth improvement over its competitive set over the same period last year, thus indicating a continued domestic demand for a Hawai‘i vacation despite the recession, he said.
And McCartney noted the bonus this month in having President Obama and the First Family home for a holiday vacation which will provide significant worldwide news and media coverage for Hawai‘i.
In the next few months, Hawai‘i will also receive extensive national television exposure through sporting events with the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl and PGA tour events.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2429.