Hawai'i a hot spot for winter travelers
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
Travelers appear to be warming to Hawai'i as a favorite winter vacation spot, according to a new survey that provides a bit of good news for the state's visitor industry still hurting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
One out of 10 travel agents surveyed over the past two months reported Hawai'i as the No. 1 domestic trip booked by their customers. Last year, only one out of 24 agents reported Hawai'i as their top booking.
A survey of 450 travel agents found that Hawai'i, with its famed Waikiki Beach, was the third most popular destination for travelers booking trips in the past two months. The state ranked behind Las Vegas and Orlando. Still, figures indicate arrivals to the state were down by 10 percent in November compared to the same month last year.
Overall, the state was the third most popular pick, behind Las Vegas and Orlando — an improvement from sixth place last year.
The survey conducted by the American Society of Travel Agents and Fodor's polled 450 travel agents.
Keith Vieira, senior vice president of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i, said he believes the appeal of the Islands has grown because of how the nation is feeling since the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
"When you think about what's happened emotionally with the public, there is a desire to be close to family, to be spiritual, to enjoy life — and if you think about travel to Hawai'i, it fits every one," he said.
Still, fewer Americans are traveling by air out of fear. So despite the survey results, Vieira and other Hawai'i tourism industry officials remain concerned about visitor arrivals, and some expect arrivals will be down for at least the next six months.
In October, the first full month after the terrorist attacks, 30 percent fewer visitors came to Hawai'i, a reflection of a 10 percent drop in domestic visitors and a more than 50 percent decrease in Japanese visitors.
According to the latest preliminary state data, domestic arrivals last month were still down roughly 10 percent compared to last November.
To spur travel demand to the state, tourism officials will spend $15 million through March on an emergency tourism marketing campaign — $8 million of which is directed at the top 20 U.S. and Canadian markets, and $7 million in Japan.
According to the travel agent survey — which compared Hawai'i to Mainland cities — the seven winter destinations ranked behind Hawai'i are: New York City, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Miami, Denver, Fort Myers, Fla. and New Orleans.
As a state, Florida was the most popular for domestic travel this winter, followed by Nevada, Hawai'i, California and Colorado.
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
