Hawaii '07 visitor arrivals dropped 1.2%

The number of people visiting Hawaii in 2007 dropped 1.2 percent to 7,368,048, the first decline since 2003.

Visitor spending in Hawaii totaled $12.2 billion in 2007, about 1 percent more than in 2006.

Visitor spending was up .9 percent, about $103 million more than in 2006. Daily visitor spending increased 2.5 percent to $183 per person in 2007.

But with Hawaii's inflation rate running at 5 percent for most of last year, actual visitor spending came in at about $11.7 billion, about $200 million less in real dollars than in 2005.

The visitor report was released Tuesday by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

While passenger travel from the U.S. West grew .1 percent and arrivals from Canada were up 5.3 percent, fewer Japanese and visitors from the U.S. East contributed to an overall decline.

The average length of stay remained about nine days, but total visitor days were down 1.6 percent year over year.
credited by: bizjournals.com

First Financial Bancorp sees uptick for 4Q, year

In a quarter when bad news has been the norm for banks, First Financial Bancorp produced gains for its fourth quarter and year.

The Hamilton-based bank posted net income of $10.7 million, or 29 cents per share, compared to $800,000, or 2 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Net interest income dropped slightly, to $29.1 million from $30.1 million.

For the 12-month period, First Financial reported net income of $35.7 million, or 93 cents per share, versus $21.3 million, or 54 cents per share in 2006. Net interest income fell to $118.5 million from $125.1 million.

First Financial (NASDAQ: FFBC) operates in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
credited by: bizjournals.com

KGW coming to Pioneer Square

The local news channel KGW will spend as much as $1 million to build a news studio in Pioneer Square.

The high-definition facility will take over a vacant space formerly occupied by Powell's Travel Books. It'll be renovated to include floor-to-ceiling glass windows to allow the public to watch the anchors at work, similar to the NBC studio in Rockefeller Center.

The station expects to begin live morning and noon broadcasts from the studio this summer.

KGW, Portland's NBC affiliate, is a news-gathering partner of the Business Journal. It's owned by Dallas-based Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC).

Outdoor television monitors will also broadcast the news for passersby to watch.
credited by: bizjournals.com