HONOLULU, Hawaii (10 Jan 2002) -- Hawaii's tourism industry has suffered its worst decline in state history, with a sharp decline in tourist arrivals and a drop of almost $1 billion sending economic shock waves across the islands. Hotels, airlines, dive operators and other tourist related businesses have laid off thousands of workers, a drop of over 11,000 jobs in 2001. Tourist arrivals dropped by about 9 percent or about 650,000 fewer visitors, the largest year-on-year decline in state history. Overall losses to the tourism industry have been estimated at $900 million to $1 billion. | | Although the September 11 attacks caused much of the decline, tourist arrivals were already down sharply from 2000 due to recessions in both the US and Japan. Tourism officials forecast that the industry will remain weak through at least 2003. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
