Mainlanders boost Island weddings business

By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honeymooners from Himeji, Japan, visit Two Lovers Point overlooking Guam's Waikiki-like Tumon Bay in Hagatna. Although Japanese tourism to the U.S. territory is down 30 percent, the couple said they picked Guam over Hawai'i because it's 3,800 miles closer to Tokyo. Associated Press

Visitor surveys showed 133,599 people traveling to Hawai'i by air through March for a marriage or honeymoon, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. That's up nearly 20 percent from a year ago and up 4 percent from the first three months of 2001.

"Bad things tend to make people want to get married," explained Sandy Barker, owner of Romantic Maui Weddings in Lahaina.

Maui Weddings, which caters mostly to Mainland visitors, has seen steady business since the terrorist attacks, Barker said.

Because marriage plans are difficult to change on short notice, the wedding business tends to remain stable despite world events. However, wedding planners catering to a Japanese clientele tell a different story. While wedding travel overall has rebounded since 9-11, the number of Japanese residents getting married in Hawai'i is down nearly 15 percent at 328 couples last year compared to 385 in 2000, according to state Department of Health marriage license data. (The number is low because many Japanese visitors don't bother getting a marriage license since their Hawai'i weddings are often ceremonial or a renewal of vows.)

Japanese visitors are a key market for Hawai'i because they tend to spend more per person than other Island visitors. Wedding travel from Japan had been picking up until April, when war in Iraq and concerns about severe acute respiratory syndrome led to cancellations and a drop in business, said Akiko Sanai, sales and marketing director for Matzki Wedding Emporium in Waikiki.

"It's just not at the same level as before Sept. 11," she said. "Lots of travelers are kind of canceling their plans for weddings in Hawai'i."

The sluggish Japanese economy hasn't helped matters either, though a recent jump in calls for the fall wedding season indicates that October through November should be stronger, Sanai said.

Hawai'i also is facing stiffer business for wedding travel. Guam, for instance, last week sent a delegation to Japan to lure summer travelers by billing itself as a closer, less expensive alternative to Hawai'i. Guam lost significant Japanese visitor traffic in part because of damage from last year's supertyphoon.

The state, meanwhile, is making efforts to keep Hawai'i on the minds of young couples. Although it canceled its wedding fair in Japan for lack of a venue, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority is increasing its presence at other bridal and honeymoon fairs in Japan this year to attract more Japanese tourists.

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.

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