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Posted: Friday, September 28th, 2012 9:08 AM HST

Summer ends strong for Hawaii tourism economy

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's tourism economy ended the summer with double-digit increases in visitor arrivals and spending. That's according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority's August statistics. The authority said Thursday spending grew 14.6 percent last month compared to the previous year to $1.19 billion. August arrivals increased 11 percent. Arrivals from the U.S. West grew almost 8 percent for the 10th consecutive month of growth. Japanese arrivals increased nearly 13 percent last month, but remained lower than the August 1996 record. There was a 4 percent drop in daily spending, which resulted in a moderate, about 6 percent increase in total spending. Canadian arrivals dropped 0.6 percent and spending decreased 1.4 percent. Authority President and CEO Mike McCartney says upcoming festivals and events will help draw visitors during the slower fall travel period.