The number of people vacationing in Hawai'i and subsequent spending by tourists dipped last month, according to preliminary statistics released yesterday by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

Total visitor arrivals declined 1.4 percent compared with last November, falling to 490,514. Arrivals by air decreased 1.4 percent while arrivals by cruise ships were 1.7 percent lower compared with a year ago.

With fewer visitors, there was a $17.7 million, or 2.2 percent decline in total spending by those who arrived by air, which amounted to $771 million. Average daily spending was down slightly, from $175 per person a year ago to $174.

The decrease in tourist dollars was the smallest dollar amount since March 2008, when the global economic decline, back-to-back closing of Aloha and ATA airlines, and fluctuating fuel prices led to steep declines, said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.

Among the top four visitor markets, arrivals by air from the western United States fell 3.7 percent from last November, after six consecutive months of growth. Arrivals from Japan rose for the third consecutive month, up 7.9 percent from November 2008.

"First-time visitors from Japan outnumbered repeat visitors," Weinert said, adding that could be a fluke since it was the first time it happened since November 2007. But attracting first-timers offers hope of a growing market that tends to spend more, she said.

Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, echoed industry sentiment that the November data were as expected given the challenging year, even though there were signs of recovery in recent months.

"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, Hawai'i has seen growth in market share over competitors compared with the same period last year, indicating continued domestic demand for a Hawai'i vacation despite the recession, he said.

Bonuses for the year include having President Obama and the first family vacation in the Isles for the holidays, and extensive national television exposure through sporting events like the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic and Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, McCartney said.

The state also is projecting strong December numbers bolstered by Japanese visitors who traveled here for the Honolulu Marathon and the Oshogatsu (New Year's) holiday.

There's another boost from the Korea market, where Hawai'i has seen an increase of 13,422 arrivals over 2008 from January through November, he said.

Looking ahead to 2010, McCartney said Hawai'i will have 497,000 new air seats from new routes from North America. Although the state has not fully recovered from the loss of seats due to the closing of ATA and Aloha Airlines, "these numbers bring hope and optimism to our industry," he said.