Posted at 12:06 p.m., Wednesday, January 8, 2003
Arrivals from Japan up sharply
Advertiser Staff and News Services
TOKYO Japan Airlines said the number of passengers traveling to Hawai'i rose 40 percent during the peak year-end period from a year earlier to 74,343. It is a sign that Japanese travel to the Islands finally is returning to pre-9/11 levels.Overall, Japan Airlines System Corp. and All Nippon Airways Co. carried as much as 14.5 percent more passengers during the year-end season. Japan Airlines System said international passenger numbers rose 11 percent to 395,981 from Dec. 20 to yesterday. All Nippon international passenger numbers rose 14.5 percent to 100,000, the company said, adding that fading terrorism worries and growing demand for travel to Hawai'i and Europe led to more trips during the year-end season.
Japanese travel agency JTB saw travel to Hawai'i increase over 2000 levels Dec. 23 through Friday, according to general manager of tour planning and marketing Yujiro Kuwabara. JTB estimated 69,000 Japanese came to Hawai'i during the holidays, up from 51,000 in the 2000-2001 season.
While New Year's travel was down 10 to 15 percent compared with 2000, more Japanese came to Hawai'i during the Christmas period, Kuwabara said, at least in part because of a JTB advertising campaign.
A December typhoon on Guam may have caused some to visit Hawai'i instead, he said.
Advertiser staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this report.
