Developing international visitor markets — Oceania, Europe, other Asia and Latin America — showed a small increase in the number of tourists coming to Hawai'i for the first three quarters of 2008, according to arrival statistics released yesterday by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

That news comes in contrast to the slump in visitor arrivals for the traditionally strong tourism markets for Hawai'i: both the U.S. Mainland and Japan.

Through the first three quarters of 2008, combined arrivals by air from these developing international markets totaled 305,922 visitors, 5.9 percent of the total visitor count of 5,169,845.

In contrast to the 19.3 percent decline in total air visitors for the first nine months of 2008, the developing international markets showed only a 1.1 percent decrease from the same period in 2007.

"The developing international markets have great potential for growth," said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert. "The European market is performing nicely with a 7.6 percent increase in visitors through the third quarter 2008."

The "other Asia market," which includes China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, also performed well with an 11.1 percent growth in the first quarter of 2008.

Wienert said a decline of 15 percent in the third quarter could have been because of the 2008 Olympic Games and the devastating earthquake in China.

"With the easing of travel barriers for Chinese visitors and visa waiver being granted for South Korea, we anticipate a doubling of arrivals and spending from the other Asia market within the next few years," Wienert said.