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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, January 6, 2009

USS Arizona Memorial tops list of favorite visitor sites

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Visitors line up outside the USS Arizona Memorial's visitor center for tickets to see the monument. The Pearl Harbor attraction was the state's No. 1 visitor site of 2007.

ADVERTISER LIBRARY PHOTO | August 2008

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The USS Arizona Memorial was Hawai'i's No. 1 visitor attraction for 2007, bringing in nearly 1.6 million visitors, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

The top 10 visitor attractions were highlighted in a 2008 Hawai'i Tourism Authority annual report to the state Legislature.

The historic Pearl Harbor attraction usually lands in the top three of the most favored locations for visitors, along with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island and Haleakala National Park on Maui.

All three had more than a million visitors each.

Rounding out the top five were the Polynesian Cultural Center in La'ie and the Honolulu Zoo.

The consistent top-10 ranking of most of these attractions over time shows their diverse appeal, said Muriel Anderson, HTA's director of tourism programs.

"They continue to be icons for Hawai'i," Anderson said. "Some of them are very affordable or free.

"They're good family-oriented types of attractions and ways to experience the culture of Hawai'i."

She noted that the Neighbor Islands are well-represented with Pu'uhonua O Honaunau on the Big Island, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kaua'i and the Maui Ocean Center and 'Iao Valley State Monument. Another popular attraction was Diamond Head State Monument.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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