Hawaii travelers, visitor spending climb in October

HONOLULU (AP) - The Hawaii Tourism Authority says the number of visitors to the state rose nearly 3 percent in October compared to the year before.

The state tourism agency said Thursday spending by travelers topped $1.3 billion during the month. That's an increase of more than 4 percent compared to the same month last year.

The number of visitors exceeded 730,000.

The U.S. mainland and Japan both sent more tourists to the islands. But the U.S. East Coast had the biggest gains.

Visitors from the eastern part of the mainland jumped almost 8 percent. And they spent 13 percent more while in the state. CEO George Szigeti credited the agency's work to boost travel demand from New York City and nearby areas for the increase.

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