Hawaii’s Big Island suffered a big decline in visitors during July, with travelers staying away despite the gradual lull in lava flows.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority said arrivals were down 12.7% and visitor spending sank more than 7%.
The Kilaueu eruption has slowed in recent weeks but the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed, depriving the island of its major tourism attraction.
Despite this, the state still recorded overall visitor growth of 5.3%, with an all-time monthly record of nearly one million arrivals.
Tourism related spending was up state-wide to more than $1.6 billion for the month.
Year-to-date visitor spending is now at $10.92 billion which is up by nearly 10%.
Average daily spending across the island rose to $205 per person, the HTA said.
