Hawai'i slips to No. 5 in Japan travel survey

By David Butts
Advertiser Staff Writer

China has overtaken Hawai'i as the fourth most popular destination for Japanese going abroad on summer vacation, according to a survey by JTB Corp., Japan's largest travel agency, which concluded that price was a main reason for the change.

Hawai'i fell to fifth on the list behind South Korea, Europe, the U.S. Mainland and China. The number of Japanese planning to come to Hawai'i this summer is down 18 percent from a year ago — at 216,000 visitors versus 266,000 last year.

The drop is part of a trend that has seen Japanese visitors to the Islands decline from a peak of 2.2 million in 1997 to 1.5 million last year. The reasons have more to do with economics and changing Japanese tastes than Sept. 11.

"During the summer, Hawai'i's biggest customers are families," said Yujiro Kuwabara of JTB Hawaii Inc. But families are feeling the pinch of Japan's stagnant economy. Summer bonuses, which can equal as much as six months salary, were much less this year than expected, Kuwabara said.

What's more, some markets that were once robust for Hawai'i are drying up, including company-sponsored incentive trips and young adults between the ages of 18 to 29.

"You shouldn't sit there waiting for those (markets) to come back," said Tony Vericella, president of the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Tourism companies need to focus on the growing markets, including weddings and mature adults, and find new ways to encourage them to spend, said Donald Takaki, CEO of Island Movers Inc. and chairman-elect of the HVCB. "What was smart years ago, you need to change that," he said.

In the past Japanese came in large groups and followed a flag-waving tour guide. "The problem then was not enough Japanese spoken," Takaki said. "Today's traveler says Hawai'i is too much like Japan."