The number of visitors traveling to Hawaii fell 1.4% in November from the same month a year earlier as the weak economy continued to drag down the state’s tourism industry.
The number of arrivals from the western part of the U.S. fell 3.4%, while those from the East sank 7.8% and Canada dropped 7.4%.
In contrast, the number of Japanese tourists surged 7.9% as the yen remained strong in comparison to the U.S. dollar. A stronger yen makes goods and services purchased in the U.S. cheaper for Japanese travelers.
Mike McCartney, Hawaii Tourism Authority president, said in a statement that many Japanese also came to Hawaii in December due to the Honolulu Marathon and the New Year’s holiday.
Delta Air Lines Inc. has indicated it will add about 200 seats each day on flights from Japan to Honolulu, McCartney said.
Other airlines have also added seats on flights from the U.S. mainland and Canada. McCartney said those airlines are expected to have 497,000 more seats in 2010 compared to this year.
So far this year, 5.9 million people have visited Hawaii, down 5.1% from last year.