VISITOR DATA

Visitor Expend. ($ mil.)              $8,729.3         $8,517.4          2.5%

Visitor Arrivals                         4,867,057        4,850,949          0.3%

AIRLIFT OUTLOOK

Sept - Nov                                       2014               2013      %Chng

TOTAL SEATS:                           2,636,907         2,511,738        5.0%

Domestic:                                  1,773,895         1,628,586       8.9%

International:                               863,012           883,152       -2.3%

The full report is available here.

Hawaiian music artist Kapena will perform on Oct. 4.

The HTA's 2014 Ahamele: Monthly Hawaiian Music Series offers a chance for both visitors and residents to experience the Hawaiian culture first-hand through the musical stylings of some of Hawaii's renowned local artists.

"The Ahamele: Monthly Hawaiian Music Series brings people together to celebrate Hawaiian culture through music," said Mike McCartney, HTA president and CEO. "These concerts will provide our visitors and residents the opportunity to experience our distinct culture and highlight our local artists." Read more.

At the HTA board meeting on Aug. 21, 2014, the HTA welcomed three new board members. Sean Dee, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Outrigger Enterprises Group; Donna Domingo, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU); and Denise Hayashi Yamaguchi, president and CEO of Denise Hayashi Consulting, were all appointed to the HTA board of directors effective July 1, 2014.

During the meeting, the board also elected Aaron Sala to serve as its chair and Craig Nakamura and Lorrie Stone to serve as its co-chairs. Both Sala and Nakamura joined the HTA board in 2011 and Stone joined in 2012. Read more.

During the 2014 legislative session, Bob Herkes, retired visitor industry executive and dedicated public servant was also appointed to serve on the HTA board of directors. The HTA was saddened to learn that Herkes passed away on Aug. 21, the day he was scheduled to attend his first meeting.

"Bob had a long career working in the visitor industry and public service and we were looking forward to welcoming him to the HTA ohana. He was excited to attend his first board meeting and we know that his spirit will be with us to guide Hawaii's tourism industry. We are saddened about his loss," said Mike McCartney, HTA president and CEO.

On behalf of the HTA, we send our heartfelt condolences and aloha to Bob Herkes' family and friends. 

As a knowledge-based organization, the HTA relies on and dedicates resources to tourism research to help develop and evaluate its local and global strategies, programs and partnerships, and their impact on the state's tourism economy. 

Overseeing these efforts is Daniel Nahoopii, HTA's director of tourism research. With two decades of experience in research, Daniel oversees the production, organization and interpretation of data related to Hawaii's visitor industry; leads the statewide Tourism Strategic Plan process and the performance monitoring and evaluation of the HTA's efforts; conducts workshops, seminars and meetings to provide visitor statistics, analyses and other information relating to the visitor industry and supervises the HTA's tourism research team. Prior to joining the HTA, Daniel worked at Kamehameha Schools, SMS Research & Marketing Services, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and Hawaiian Electric Company. Read more.