HONOLULU -- The number of tourists coming to the islands continued to fall in February, according to the state.

There were 527,222 visitors in February, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. So far this year, visitor arrivals are down 12.6 percent from the same period last year.

With the drop in tourists came a drop in spending. Visitors traveling by air alone spent 15.9 percent or $161 million less than the same time last year, officials said.

"Hawaii's visitor industry continued to be impacted by unstable economic conditions worldwide," state Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert said. "February's results were not unexpected and included a 'leap year effect' of one less day in the month this year compared to February 2008."

Island Arrivals:

Oahu: 316,654 down 12.5 percent

Maui: 15,916 down 22 percent

Big Island: 103,402 down 17.7 percent

Kauai: 72,064 down 19.6 percent

Lanai: 5,241 down 36.1 percent

Molokai: 4,378 down 39.1 percent

Officials said the loss of a home-ported cruise ship made a major impact on the tourism numbers for February. That loss hit Kauai the hardest, but also made impacts on Oahu, Big Island and Maui, tourism officials said.