Getting to Hawaii is not a problem. Competitive airfares are to be had.
It’s staying there that’s the problem.
A vacation in Hawaii could be expensive as some costs such as lodging and rental cars have skyrocketed more than 300 percent according to local outlet Beat of Hawaii. They dissected the numbers reported for the month of June by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Although six percent fewer visitors than the pre-COVID month of June 2019 arrived in Hawaii, they spent almost 23 percent more money.
The tourism authority countered by saying the average length of stay has increased.
“Even with these higher-spending visitors, we must continue our efforts in destination management to ensure the balance of economic benefits with environmental and community well-being,” the Hawaii Tourism Authority said. “…Visitor spending directly drives economic stability for our islands – that’s why HTA, our island destination managers, our Global Marketing Team, and industry and community partners urge travelers to support the local economy to build a regenerative tourism future that can sustain our state for decades to come.”
Hawaii is concerned with the falling rate of repeat visitors with the amount of spending provided to the local economy.
Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, said July and August appear to be down and called returning visitors “The best guests for Hawaii.”
Flights are also more expensive, so booking well ahead is the way to travel.
“Unlike the last few years, travelers need to be more patient to get those uber low fares,” said Katy Nastro, a spokesperson at Going.com told SFGate.com. “They were available almost all of the time during the pandemic when demand was low and airlines were dumping extra capacity into Hawaii, but now it’s important to book a few months ahead for best results.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
