The number of visitors to Hawai'i and the amount they spent dipped slightly in April, reflecting a continuation of the gradual slowdown in the industry.

The state greeted 582,466 visitors in April, down 1 percent from the same month a year earlier. Spending totaled $878.3 million for the month, down 1.9 percent from April 2006.

For the first four months of the year, arrivals were down 1.1 percent from the same period in 2006, while spending was up 1.2 percent to $3.9 billion.

State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said the numbers remain strong but not stellar. "Overall, Hawai'i's visitor industry continues to do well, especially as it is compared to the past two record-breaking years," she said.

As in other recent months, the slump in Japanese visitors — down 8.9 percent in April — was partly offset by increases in visitors from the U.S. West and Canada.

"The domestic market continues to be the backbone of Hawai'i's tourism industry as witnessed by the strong performance of the U.S. West," Wienert said.

The average length of stay fell to 8.61 days in April, a 0.7 percent drop from a year earlier. Average daily spending was little changed at $175.

One bright spot was visitors who flew to the state to board a cruise ship or who arrived by cruise ship. Those visitors rose 33.5 percent from last April.

Some other trends in year-to-date statistics: