Guest satisfaction down in Hawaii but tourism remains strong
Overall satisfaction among Mainland visitors to Hawaii has fallen for the third time in a row, but visitors are forecast to spend $13.3 billion in 2007, an increase of $2.4 billion in only three years.
Fewer tourists recently rated their vacation as “excellent” during the first half of 2006.
Tourism officials blame the heavy rains in February, March and early April for the drop in satisfaction, particularly on Kauai, the island most devastated by flooding.
On Kauai, 60% of Mainland visitors rated their experience as excellent, compared to 72% a year earlier, according to the 2006 Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Report based on a survey of 4,565 tourists in the first half of this year.
Almost two thirds of US visitors and just over half Japanese visitors rated their most recent vacation as excellent, both lower figures than the previous year.
Fewer visitors said their trip exceeded expectations and that they would recommend Hawaii as a vacation destination.
Despite the survey, the robust growth in spending is expected to continue through the end of the decade — despite the dismal forecasts on Japanese visitor arrivals.
A lot of that money is being spent at hotels, which are coming off one of their most profitable years ever and are expecting more of the same in 2007.
The average daily room rate is moving closer to $200 and now stands at $185, nearly $20 more than last year.
Through February, air capacity to Hawaii is expected to be up 4.1 percent over 2006.
And aboard cruise ships, more than 500,000 passenger arrivals are expected in 2007.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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