Hawaii
Hawaii visitor arrivals drop 14.2% in scary situation for tourism
Nearly 100 Hawai'i tourism leaders met yesterday in an urgent search for a strategy to reverse the decline in visitor arrivals, which has reached levels not seen since the months after the 9/11 attacks.
Visitor arrivals fell 14.2 percent in June, according to state data released yesterday. The June decline in arrivals by air was the largest since January 2002, when air arrivals fell 16.2 percent.
"This is as scary as it's ever been, and and it's going to get scarier," said 38-year Hawai'i tourism veteran Mary Charles, founder of MC&A Inc., a destination management company.
Charles told the monthly meeting of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority that hotel bookings for the fall are coming in at 10 percent to 30 percent less than last fall. The decline, she added, affects the whole community. "Everybody is paying the price of what's happening," she said.
Spending by visitors arriving by air fell 13.5 percent to $982.4 million in June.
"June's visitor statistics reflect the loss of two Norwegian Cruise Line ships, increased fuel costs and a continued soft travel market, especially from the U.S. Mainland," said Marsha Wienert, the state's tourism liaison.
Among the top three visitor markets, visitors from the U.S. West dropped 16.5 percent, U.S. East went down 17 percent and Japan was down 10 percent from the same month last year. Air arrivals from Canada — a much smaller but rapidly growing market for Hawai'i — remained the only bright spot. The number of Canadian visitors rose 18.6 percent compared with June 2007.
"There's no magic pill" that will turn the industry around, said Mark Simon, director of marketing for the Four Seasons Resort at Wailea, Maui.
David Carey, Outrigger Enterprises Group, said he'd like to see a focus on research on the best approach to bring tourists back, and not just a move to act quickly.
Rex Johnson, HTA's president and CEO, said Carey's point is important. "We just don't want to throw money out there," he said.
Slump hits HTA as well
The HTA's total projected budget for the fiscal year just ended was $83 million, but the decline in the industry dropped revenue to $78.3 million, officials said. The HTA receives 34.2 percent of the state's 7.25 percent hotel tax.
The decision by HTA in May to quickly shift money to a big marketing push helped slow the drop in tourism, said Jay Talwar, of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Talwar, senior vice president of marketing, said the effort focused most on California, with everything from special deals with industry partners, dedicated Web pages to Aloha Friday celebrations in San Francisco featuring Island chefs and music. California was targeted as likely to be able to get visitors who would book quickly, within the same month they traveled.
Efforts credited
There seems to be agreement that the push helped bring visitors to Hawai'i who might have been wavering because of increased airfares, high fuel prices and the economy, Talwar said.
David Uchiyama, HTA's director of tourism marketing, said officials also are looking at other ways to keep airlines flying to the Islands. He noted that the cost of jet fuel has risen 81.7 percent in a year.
Some of the less-conventional proposals being discussed include: tax credits, waiving landing fees, reducing prices for transportation and for hotel rooms for air crews, and even fuel hedging by the state to offer special fuel pricing, Uchiyama said.
"As an island, air accessibility needs to be our primary focus," Uchiyama said.
He also warned that a continued decline in the number of arrivals could result in closing of some hotels "and potential layoffs." So far, the only layoffs have come on Maui, related to Maui Land & Pineapple's announcement of companywide layoffs of 274 this month and Ka'anapali Beach Club's layoff of 34 restaurant workers.
Murray Towill, president of the Hawai'i Hotel and Lodging Association, said so far the industry has been responding with increased marketing, targeted discounts and general belt-tightening.
He said cutting hours and layoffs would be considered over the long term, but he's heard no specific plans from hotels.
"I've heard people express concerns about the fall and what the impacts are going to be," he said, including worries that fall bookings in hotels are down 5 to 30 percent.
Johnson said the tourism board will meet again in the next 30 days after discussing more ideas with industry officials.
Comments
Hi all, we're in the Bahamas on Long Island, we're spending $s here because we can smoke, screw Hawaii
One thing's for sure, Hawaii will not see one cent of my travel dollars while they dictate what I can and can't do.
Viva Mexico, smoke where you want.
Banning smokers = banning money
Liam
Hi all
I can comfirm that the Bahamas are not dumb enough to ban smoking.
Following one night in Nassau and a two week vacation on Long Island we have smoked in lots of bars (exceptions being the few where the owner didn't allow smoking) There is no govenment ben here.
Loads of tourists and all seem very happy, unlike our horrendous Hawiian vacation last year when we couldn't wait to leave. I, for one, will never spend another dime in Hawaii as long as they have a smoking ban, it's our vacation and there should be at least a percentage of bars for smokers.
Jose
Dan, very good comments indeed.
We would love to visit Hawaii for 3 weeks a year vacation.
Of course if we did visit we would pay for hotels, car rental, food, drink and gifts to take home, but it seems we would not be made very welcome.
We both smoke cigarettes and as smokers we will continue to boycot Hawaii and spend our vacations (and money) elsewhere.
Perhaps someone knows how to forward posts like ours to the powers that be in the Hawaii government, maybe then something will be done.
Mr and Mrs Evans
I can't believe any tourist destination anywhere would even consider something as stupid as banning smoking.
There are around 1.5 BILLION smokers globally and Hawaii have told them all that they're not welcome, any wonder tourism is down?
Hawaii, how about welcoming everyone for a change?
Drop this dumb ban and watch the figures go up.
I almost booked our annual 3 week vacation in Hawaii.
Thankfully I did some research first, after learning that we won't be able to smoke anywhere I've booked in The Bahamas instead, wonder how many other people are abandoning Hawaii for other smoker friendly destinations?
Eddie, Jen and family
No mention of smoking in the article, but lots of comments. I'll add - we smoked on our balcony and then got "fined" $250 by the hotel. I disputed the fine unsuccessfully with the desk clerk, who I later saw smoking out in the storage room. What a crock!
We're sitting in a bar in the Bahamas drinking, smoking and spending money.
Why do we no longer spend money in Hawaii? Simple, the smoking policy they have, If Hawaii don't want us smokers, we'll simply go elsewhere.
Hawaii must be mad expecting tourists to follow their 'health orders', we are a party of 8 friends, 5 of us are smokers, we always take our vacations together.
We will not visit the islands until this dumb-assed ban is lifted.
Do any government guys ever read these posts?
Lift this ban and let the people who pay have the option of smoking or non smoking, you may just get a few dollars in if you do.
GoToTravelGirl, it's not the lack of all inclusive vacations that stop me spending my money on the islands, it's the smoking ban.
Hawaii, this is simple, can't smoke, won't pay.
Change your Nanny state attitude and visitors will come back, keep it up and loose their dollars.
As a veteran travel professional on the "front lines" every day; my suggestion would be to add a few "All Inclusive" resorts. Maybe one or two on Oahu, Maui, and / or Kaui. I guarantee you would see great results; as I can't tell you how many of clients are sorely disappointed to learn there are none on any of the islands. While cruising is an option for some, many people simply do not want to cruise.
God, Ilove the internet, we almost booked 3 weeks in Maui, then I found this site, we'll go somewhere else, we both smoke.
Les and Sheila
If you smoke dont go to hawaii we spend our money in jamaica now hawaii can go swivel
We don't visit any more either, 'cos we smoke
Screw Hawaii, go down south to Mexico, they don't try to enforce their views on you.
It's your vacation and you're paying for it, if you want to smoke don't go to Hawaii.
Bev, Cal.
We used to go to Hawaii four times a year. Spend $6,000+ on each trip, but no more! I don't mind spending money while on vacation, but to have such crazy restrictions at the same time I'm paying throught the nose for it. Our families will enjoy ourselves in another destination. Remember Hawaii, your not a cheap place to go to!!!!!
Hawaii is now dead, the smoking ban has killed it's soul.
If non-smokers wanted non-smoking bars why didn't they open them?
The answer is because they would have gone bankrupt.
Hawaii, repeal this ban and we, along with 1000's of others will return.
Tony, Monterey
So Hawaii is shocked at the downturn in tourism are they?
Did Hawaii ever consider the fact that they are telling smokers to 'go elsewhere'
If, and this is a big if, they are smart they will repeal the smoking ban and get tourists back.
Lee and Ruth (we will not visit while the smoking ban is on either)
Us too, we no longer vacation there due to the ban.
Just found this site.
It looks like the bars in Hawaii are going the same way as our pubs in the UK, in only 2 years of the UK smoking ban we now have 54 pubs per week closing for good.
Is this what ASH and the anti-smokers means by "smoking bans are good for business"
I for one would not visit any tourist spot that has smoking bans....... or any other type of ban.
Hawaii, if you don't repeal this law you're set to go bankrupt.
We've just booked a Bahamas vacation, they'll got our dollars.
We both smoke, Hawaii will get no more money from us.
When Hawaii banned smoking we banned Hawaii.
We vacation in Nassau, Bahamas now.
Eddie and Liz
Us too, we spend our hard earned money vacationing in places where we can do what we want, NOT what government officials ALLOW us to do.
After all, who exactly is paying for our vacation......... us.
So long as places like Hawaii feel they can dictate what is and what isn't permitted during vacation time we will never visit.
By the way, Mexico gets our money ever since Hawaii banned smoking. I hope they go bankrupt.
Ian and Sue
Sooooo, Johnny, you suggest that I pay money for my vacation and visit Hawaii, but in order to do that I 'have' to stop smoking cigarettes and use an inhalor.
Exactly what sort of vacation would that be? I enjoy smoking, if you think for one moment I'm gonna pay money and not smoke you must be mad. I'll simply visit the Bahamas and spend my money there, because on these islands you can relax and smoke. Hawaii is just a memory to me now, I'll never, ever return as long as the government try to tell me what I can and can't do on vacation.
Realistically, its not the 1800's anymore, and you can smoke just about anywhere. With my e-Cigarette I can smoke in the airport, at the bar and even in the plane on my way to my destination. Its a new world, and we aren't limited by tobacco products anymore. You should take a look at these f your thinking about going somewhere that regular tobacco smoking is banned.
Johnny B
Hey guys, go to Europe instead, Spain welcomes smokers with open arms. Good climate, nice people and no government or tourist body to tell you what you can and can't do on your holidays.
I would never, ever spend my money in a country which dictates what I am 'allowed' to do
Steve
Us too, we will never go to Hawaii and be told what we can and can't do.
Been to Mexico ever since they banned smoking on the island.
Going to the Bahamas (Nassau) this year though as it seems very tolerant of 'low life smokers' like us, at least the Mexicans and Bahamians seem to want our dollars.
Ian
Us too, we go to Mexico now only because smokers are not looked down on there.
Lou
Can't smoke, won't visit. Wake up Hawaii, we'd love to return, but we won't be dictated to.
Jed
We don't go now, can't smoke won't visit.
Jed
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