According to a report issued by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the number of visitors to Hawaii increased by just 0.1 percent in January 2014 as compared to the same month a year prior. This equates to 682,634 visitors. However, spending decreased by 4.7 percent to $1.37 billion, causing the industry some concern. Mike McCartney, the President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, stated, "Hawaii's tourism economy is starting to plateau following two years of record-breaking growth. We anticipate seeing this trend continue into the first and second quarters of 2014."
Executive vice president of Outrigger Enterprises Group, Barry Wallace, believes that Hawaii hotels need to work harder to stimulate more travel to Hawaii by offering competitive rates and value-added incentives like free breakfasts or extra room nights. Wallace commented, "Airlift is up and occupancy is down. We need to help airlines fill their planes so that they don't cut seats or routes. We're hopeful that the pickup that we are seeing for summer will continue into the second half of the year. Even if conditions improve, I doubt that we'll surpass 2014. However, we'll probably come in close, and that's not such a bad thing."
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 2-28-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
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