Hawai'i tourism got a boost last month from more visitors coming to the Islands, staying longer and spending more, according to state statistics released yesterday.

Total visitor spending rose 4.2 percent to $1.2 billion in August, according to preliminary state statistics from the state's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. That's an increase of $46.3 million compared with the same month last year.

Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i and French Polynesia, said the visitor figures were good. But he's not ready to call it a trend after a year of declining numbers that have followed two years of boom in Hawai'i tourism.

"It was a good August," Vieira said. "All market segments were good considering how mixed the year has been."

He was especially pleased by a rise in the number of visitors from Japan, a key market.

But despite the positive news, he said it's too early to tell what the coming months will bring. "We don't think there was a change in trend and that everything is on the rebound," he said.

Total visitor expenditures increased for the U.S. West (plus 4.1 percent to $504.9 million), Japan (plus 10.4 percent to $205.7 million) and Canada (plus 7.1 percent to $25.7 million) markets.

Visitor expenditures declined slightly for the U.S. East market (minus 0.8 percent to $277.5 million) because of lower daily spending.

Other numbers released show: