Calculating Average Daily Census

One of the measurements that destinations often use to assess their success in attracting and retaining visitors is Average Daily Census. Average Daily Census measures the average number of visitors at the destination on any given day during the period in question. Even though it sounds a bit complicated, the calculation is actually pretty easy. Let's say that Hawaii had 6,713,436 visitors in 2008 who stayed an average of 9.4 days. How many visitors days is that? Divide that by the period in question (i.e., how many days were there in 2008?). So how many visitors were there in Hawaii on an average day in 2008? Right. 172,422.