Posted on: Saturday, September 11, 2004

Travel within islands declines

Advertiser Staff

The number of residents who travel interisland has dropped 18 percent since 2001, due in part to airline rate hikes, reports an SMS Hawai'i Market Study.

Between 2001 and 2004, the number of Hawai'i residents who have taken interisland trips declined 18 percent, or nearly 90,000 travelers, the study found.

During the same period, the number of adults who traveled to the Mainland increased marginally.

Higher interisland ticket prices, reluctance to travel after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and a changing mix of Hawai'i residents may have contributed to the decline, the annual study concludes.

This change in travel patterns by residents may have impacted other areas of the economy, including retail sales and hotel occupancy.

The SMS Hawai'i Market Study is based on approximately 2,500 completed interviews with a random sample of statewide residents.