The state now predicts 7.4 million people will visit Hawaii this year. The forecast had been 7.3 million as recently as May.
Anything over 7 million will be a record for the state and 7.4 million will represent a 6.1 percent increase from 2004.
Arrivals by air from Jan. 1 through Wednesday morning totaled 5,354,303.
The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism said Wednesday that visitor spending should hit $11.6 billion this year, up 6.8 percent from 2004. Three months ago DBEDT was predicting $11.4 billion.
In their third quarter update, state economists also are forecasting that personal income in Hawaii will grow 3.4 percent this year with continued gains in the number of jobs.
The state population, which did not reach 1.25 million until last year, is expected to expand slightly this year to just short of 1.28 million.
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