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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Satisfaction among Isle visitors dipped in 2004

Advertiser Staff

Satisfaction ratings among Mainland and Japanese visitors fell slightly last year compared to 2003, according to preliminary data collected by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Initial results from the state survey show the number of Mainland visitors who rated their trip excellent fell about 4 percentage points to 68 percent. It declined 2 percentage points to 50 percent among Japanese visitors. The number of Mainland and Japanese visitors who rated their trip below average rose slightly, but still remained low at 3.1 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

The number of Mainland visitors who said they were very satisfied with Hawai'i restaurants dropped to 60.5 percent from 63.4 percent, as did their satisfaction ratings for accommodations, which dropped to 74.6 percent from 78.1 percent.

About 21.3 percent of Japanese visitors rated Hawai'i restaurants below average, outnumbering the 19.7 percent who said they were very satisfied. About 40.5 percent said they were very satisfied with their accommodations here compared with 10.6 percent who rated them below average.

State chief economist Pearl Imada Iboshi said those figures, along with the low overall dissatisfaction ratings, show that though some visitors were less than pleased with restaurants or accommodations, they're relatively satisfied with the trip as a whole.

"So that's still a good thing," she said. "But we can't keep continuing that."

U.S. visitors who said they would likely visit Hawai'i again in the next five years also dropped to 63.8 percent from 66.6 percent, while the likelihood for Japanese visitors to return here declined 4 percentage points to 52.4 percent. Most visitors said that was because they wanted to go someplace new.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will release the final Visitor Satisfaction and Activity report next month.