Have you ever wondered how many people go to Hawaii? How much they spend? Where do they go? Well, the latest report from the Hawaii Tourism Authority covers all those questions — in all 195 data-heavy pages. We’ve sifted through the data to find the most interesting nuggets that a visitor would like to know.
A record-setting 9,888,845 people visited Hawaii in 2018 by air or by cruise ship. Of that total, the vast majority, 9,761,448, arrived by air.
Where do all these people go? Here’s the break down of which islands they visited:
- Oahu – 5,862,358 people
- Maui – 2,914,912 people
- Hawaii Island – 1,706,218 people
- Kauai – 1,389,300 people
- Lanai – 75,010 people
- Molokai – 58,885 people
Note: Some people visit more than one island.
Next, let’s look at when visitors go to Hawaii. We created the following chart to help illustrate when are the busiest and quietest times to visit.
So, March, June, July, August, and December are the most occupied months of the year for Hawaii per the 2018 data. From our previous analysis, March is busiest around spring break and/or Easter holiday. June, July, and August are busy due to summer family vacations. December is busy due to Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays.
How much do visitors spend in Hawaii? The estimated total for 2018 was another new high at $17.64 billion. Wow! This figure includes the cost for lodging, food and beverage, shopping, transportation (in the islands only, not to and from the islands), entertainment and recreation. The average daily spend per person was $199.
Lodging is the biggest visitor expenditure in Hawaii, which comprised 42.2 percent of total visitor spending. Most people stay in hotels. So, let’s look at the average hotel rate per month to find the most and least expensive months to visit Hawaii.
Per the data, April, May, September, October, November, and December are the least expensive months to visit Hawaii. Pricewise, those are some of the best times for a Hawaii vacation. The average daily rate is very high in December due to the popularity of Hawaii for the holidays.
Which islands are the most expensive to visit? There’s a chart for that, too.
Lanai is by far the most expensive island to visit, followed by Maui. Molokai and Hawaii Island are the least expensive.
Well, that concludes our look at Hawaii visitor statistics. Did anything surprise you?
Sheila Beal
1 comment
Thank you for your information. I was there for a week at the Monasurfrider. I too thought that Ohua was the big island. They had to bring me back kicking and screaming, I never wanted to leave. If living prices were not so untouchable would be back with bells on. From the staff that greeted our cars ,the people who served our meals. You could NEVER ask for any better service. Really their attitude showed more than a job.