DECEMBER VISITOR ARRIVALS OFF TO A GOOD START

These charts track the six-month trends of visitor arrivals to Hawai'i by air, a key barometer of the health of tourism, the state’s largest industry. To smooth out day-to-day bumps, seven-day moving averages are used. Note that figures for international arrivals do not include visitors from Canada.

HAWAI'I’S RETAILERS ENJOYING ANOTHER YEAR OF INCREASING SALES RECEIPTS

Retail experts like to say there's a good correlation between employment and store sales. When joblessness is low, sales are high. When more people are out of work, sales slip. So it may not be surprising that Hawai'i's retail sales have been on an upward trajectory. Hawai'i's unemployment rate in October was 2.1 percent, the lowest in the United States as tourism and construction continue to post solid numbers. Local retailers and malls said they expect the gains to continue through the holiday season, though the increases aren't expected to be as stellar as last year. Retail sales in August on a 12-month rolling basis were up 7.4 percent from a year earlier. The Big Island had the biggest gain among the counties, with August sales up 9.4 percent.