LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i gained more June visitors this year compared to the same month in 2009, according to recent statistics from Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Arrivals on island increased by almost 6 percent.
This was “a little bit better than I had expected,” said Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho. “I’m glad to see summer is bringing the island increased business, especially considering where things were a year ago.”
Still, Kaua‘i came in behind the other main Hawaiian islands as far as increases in visitor arrivals and expenditures are concerned (see sidebar for more details), even though it was the only island receiving a $1 million stimulus package to help boost tourism.
“I still strongly believe that without the stimulus package we would be facing different numbers that would be challenging for our island economy,” Kanoho said.
And it is imperative to “look back” at what the increases are “being measured against,” she said. “O‘ahu has the major hub of flights statewide, so to compare … is not an equal measurement.”
The cost to travel to O‘ahu when compared to Kaua‘i is also lower, with different pricing and more selection of flights, she said. O‘ahu also touts “more properties with a diversity of rates.”
“There is far more air traffic and competition into O‘ahu and Maui than Kaua‘i or Big Island,” agreed Beat of Hawai‘i’s Jeff Tucker.
However, Kaua‘i will likely be privy to more nonstop service in the near future, including Allegiant Air, which will begin flights to Hawai‘i in 2011, he said.
Moreover, “unprecedented competition will continue to drive down Mainland-to-Hawai‘i airfares,” he said. “That’s probably unavoidable for airlines in the near term.
“Good for visitors,” he added.
In fact, one-way flights costing around $100 from San Francisco, Denver and Chicago to all the islands were available through Delta for a short period of time Friday, said Tucker, who operates a website which regularly reports travel deals and visitor industry news.
“These sales have been on and off all summer,” he said. “Looking back one year ago, we did not see one quarter as many sales, nor were they as deep. The airlines are stronger with nearly all reporting good financial rebound. They are intent on positioning themselves in our Hawai‘i market.”
People are also searching for last-minute deals and even “spur-of-the-moment weddings,” Kanoho said.
“We are hearing of visitors asking about getting married during their visit and sometimes they are inquiring about getting married the next day,” she said.
But even though the island’s domestic arrivals have been “roughly flat,” journalist and economist Howard Dicus said he is “optimistic that Kaua‘i will see some rebounding of economic conditions in the next few months.
“Hawai‘i visitors are mostly affluent, and the first Mainlanders to benefit from recovery will be the affluent.”
Visit beatofhawaii.com or hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/visitor-stats/tourism/ for more information.
