Hawaii said aloha to 625,522 visitors in June 2010, a 13.6 per cent jump over June 2009 and testament to the industry's recovery from recent events which had dampened travel to the region.

Elvis and the Brady Bunch have been there (though perhaps not together) as has any sitcom worth its set budget, but Hawaii, like other US destinations, suffered visitor declines due to the recent economic downturn and last year's H1N1 epidemic, which it is now showing signs of besting.

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the efforts of Hawaii's tourism industry to boost arrivals during the recession "have been successful".

"Our focused efforts to increase travel demand to Hawaii in our major market areas are paying off with increases in arrivals from US West, US East, Canada, and Japan," Hawaii Tourism Authority chief executive Mike McCartney told Bloomberg.

Oahu recorded the strongest June growth at 18.3 per cent over June 2009, followed by the Big Island with 8.9 per cent, Maui with 5.9 per cent and Kauai with 5.8 percent increases, reported The Maui News.

"Although we still have a ways to go to make up for what has been lost during these challenging economic times, our visitor industry is on the right path and there is reason for increased confidence in Hawaii's economic recovery," Hawaii Tourism Authority spokesperson Marsha Wienert told the newspaper.

Ms Wienert said higher per person per day spending and higher overall visitor expenditure in June was a sign the industry was strong.

For the first half of 2010, total tourist expenditure in the state climbed to USD5.3 billion, a 7.8 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

International tourism to Hawaii continued to grow by 33.5 per cent, led by a 47.8 per cent increase in Japanese visitors.

"It is also encouraging to continue to welcome more visitors from developing tourism markets in Asia, specifically Korea, China and Taiwan," Ms Weinert said.