Low Visitor Arrival Numbers Affecting Jobs In Hawaii
Jesse
Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii has a
shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to announce that
the industry would prefer to attract visitors with higher standards. This
strategy would be implemented by raising the daily rates to discourage
travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma & Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in the ass.
Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the well-heeled.
Low Visitor Arrival Numbers Affecting Jobs
Written by Howard Dicus - hdi...@kgmb9.com
August 11, 2008 07:32 PM
http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/8941/40/
By mid August, Hawaii's 2008 arrivals by air will hit 5-million, but last
year we passed that milestone on the first day of July. And tourism
downturn continues to take its toll on jobs.
Employees of Musashi in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki are the latest to be told
that lack of visitor spending will force the restaurant to close in a few
weeks. The ILWU told the Maui News it has informal layoff notices from more
than a dozen hotels.
A three-year comparison of arrivals by air for the first seven months shows
we're short about 300-thousand visitors even after dialing out returning
locals, which typically make up 13% of the total arrivals figures.
International arrivals are down about 8%.
Arrivals from the mainland are still up on Kauai, but down from 17 to 22
percent to the other islands. This look at the first week of August shows
the actual arrival shortfall. It can't be blamed on the Aloha and ATA
failures because airlift is down more than capacity is.
The Tourism Authority meets tomorrow and ordinarily would brainstorm for
ideas to lure more visitors. Instead, it will debate the fate of CEO Rex
Johnson, whose x-rated emails were reported by an auditor.
AZ Nomad
>Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii has a
>shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to announce that
>the industry would prefer to attract visitors with higher standards. This
>strategy would be implemented by raising the daily rates to discourage
>travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma & Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
>Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in the ass.
>Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the well-heeled.
Airfare is also insanely expensive.
My wife as a friend living in hawaii, and we can go there and stay with
her family any time we want.
But we can't afford the airfare which would cost us about $1200+/person. Flying
from LA to HA is 4 times more expensive as flying from LA to NYC. We just
can't justify blowing $2500 on airfare alone.
Lawrence Akutagawa
"AZ Nomad" <azno...@PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote in message
news:slrnga34ee.p...@ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net...
http://www.aa.com/apps/netSAAver/ViewNetSAAverFareSalesDetail.jhtml?saleId=&fileName=HAW.Sale.072908.xml&repositoryName=FareToolSpecialContentRepository
Short link - http://tinyurl.com/6f2dyl
LAX to HNL one way as cheap as $324 per person.
http://www.cheapair.com/discount-airfare/Hawaii-State.htm?uid=217
LAX to HNL one way $510 per person
https://apps.hawaiianair.com/reservations/1/GetAvail.aspx
LAX to HNL one way $240 per person - lv LAX 9/1, ret LAX 9/21
Seek and ye shall find......
Jerry Okamura
"Jesse" <Je...@asd.dsa> wrote in message
news:23nuad....@news.alt.net...
>
>
> Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii has a
> shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to announce that
> the industry would prefer to attract visitors with higher standards. This
> strategy would be implemented by raising the daily rates to discourage
> travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma & Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
>
> Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in the ass.
>
> Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the
> well-heeled.
>
>
come to Hawaii, it is those people who can easily afford to pay the higher
cost of flying that will continue to come to Hawaii.
Bert Hyman
news:iijok.11672$i15....@newsfe01.iad:
> news:23nuad....@news.alt.net...
>>
>>
>> Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii
>> has a shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to
>> announce that the industry would prefer to attract visitors with
>> higher standards. This strategy would be implemented by raising the
>> daily rates to discourage travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma &
>> Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
>>
>> Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in
>> the ass.
>>
>> Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the
>> well-heeled.
>>
>>
> In these days of high cost of flying, it is not the poorer people
I'd characterize them as "less well off".
> who will come to Hawaii, it is those people who can easily afford to
> pay the higher cost of flying that will continue to come to Hawaii.
Are there enough of those to support the existing tourist industry?
Another factor to consider is just how unpleasant air travel has
become for most people.
--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | be...@iphouse.com
Gregory Morrow
Jerry Okamura wrote:
This is a much more desirable tourist demographic...
--
Best
Greg
SMS
> Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii has a
> shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to announce that
> the industry would prefer to attract visitors with higher standards. This
> strategy would be implemented by raising the daily rates to discourage
> travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma & Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
>
> Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in the ass.
>
> Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the well-heeled.
That article has a key error. One of the major reasons for the downturn
is the increased airfare costs. There may be sufficient capacity, but
the failure of American Trans Air, and Aloha has reduced competition,
plus fuel costs have made it necessary to raise fares even more. I have
a friend on the big island, and he said that tourism is way down. He
also said that the cost to go the mainland is gone up significantly in
the past two years, from less than $500 to almost $800, depending on the
season.
Hawaii's whole tourist economy was dependent on low-cost air fare from
the mainland.
Firman
> Just a few years ago the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau stated that Hawaii has a
> shortage of hotel rooms. So they held a news conference to announce that
> the industry would prefer to attract visitors with higher standards. This
> strategy would be implemented by raising the daily rates to discourage
> travelers on a fixed budget and the Ma & Pa Kettles from Arkansas.
>
> Well this expert advise just turned around and bit them right in the ass.
>
> Welcome to Hawaii, which is also known as Little Tokyo for the well-heeled.
>
> Low Visitor Arrival Numbers Affecting Jobs
> Written by Howard Dicus - hdi...@kgmb9.com
>
> By mid August, Hawaii's 2008 arrivals by air will hit 5-million, but last
> year we passed that milestone on the first day of July. And tourism
> downturn continues to take its toll on jobs.
>
> Employees of Musashi in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki are the latest to be told
> that lack of visitor spending will force the restaurant to close in a few
> weeks. The ILWU told the Maui News it has informal layoff notices from more
> than a dozen hotels.
>
> A three-year comparison of arrivals by air for the first seven months shows
> we're short about 300-thousand visitors even after dialing out returning
> locals, which typically make up 13% of the total arrivals figures.
> International arrivals are down about 8%.
>
> Arrivals from the mainland are still up on Kauai, but down from 17 to 22
> percent to the other islands. This look at the first week of August shows
> the actual arrival shortfall. It can't be blamed on the Aloha and ATA
> failures because airlift is down more than capacity is.
>
> The Tourism Authority meets tomorrow and ordinarily would brainstorm for
> ideas to lure more visitors. Instead, it will debate the fate of CEO Rex
> Johnson, whose x-rated emails were reported by an auditor.
Need more information about Hawaii?
http://world-adventure-travel.blogspot.com/2007/11/hawaii-vacation-tour.html
Brian
<azno...@PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote:
>My wife as a friend living in hawaii, and we can go there and stay with
>her family any time we want.
>
>But we can't afford the airfare which would cost us about $1200+/person. Flying
>from LA to HA is 4 times more expensive as flying from LA to NYC. We just
>can't justify blowing $2500 on airfare alone.
This is from DC but you might check from LA.
I've never booked with them and just recently started getting e-mails.
But it's worth trying.
The Travelzoo Newsdesk has found this outstanding offer from
Major Airlines:
WASHINGTON, D.C.--AUGUST 12, 2008-- A few major airlines
quietly lowered their prices from Washington, D.C., to
Honolulu to $526 roundtrip -- including taxes! This is more
than $300 OFF what we normally see to Hawaii.
These fares are valid 7 days a week from September through
October. Please note that this is an unadvertised sale, and
these PRICES COULD DISAPPEAR AT ANY MOMENT.
To search multiple sites at once, we recommend using
Travelzoo's SuperSearch tool, where you can easily compare
many sites without entering your information over and over.
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?449067
---
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25593638
SMS
<snip>
> Are there enough of those to support the existing tourist industry?
No. the tourist industry will have to shrink, just as the airline
industry has shrunk. The problem is most acute on Oahu, which has
catered to the tourists simply wanting to go to "Hawaii" and not caring
about going to one of the better islands.
AZ Nomad
>On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:34:29 -0400, Brian <drmorri...@comcast.net>
>wrote:
>>On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:36:14 -0500, AZ Nomad
>><azno...@PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>My wife as a friend living in hawaii, and we can go there and stay with
>>>her family any time we want.
>>>
>>>But we can't afford the airfare which would cost us about $1200+/person. Flying
>>>from LA to HA is 4 times more expensive as flying from LA to NYC. We just
>>>can't justify blowing $2500 on airfare alone.
>$1200 per person????
>I just checked for flights for departure to Hawaii on Sept 10th:
>From SFO about $550 RT
>From New York or Boston about $750 RT
Last time I checked was in May, and the best I could get for a flight
at the end of june, from Phoenix to the big island, was $1200 RT.
I'm glad to see the madness has ended.
John Sisker
checking through my source:
Round-Trip to Honolulu from...
* Los Angeles - from $556
* San Francisco - from $510
* Boston - from $764
* New York - from $757
Check on this yourself at
http://www.shiptoshorecruise.joystar.com/Flights.aspx?AgentID=10011545 for
additional details and/or other options.
Happy sailing... or should I say flight.
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com
>>>My wife as a friend living in hawaii, and we can go there and stay with
>>>her family any time we want.
>>>
>>>But we can't afford the airfare which would cost us about $1200+/person.
>>>Flying
>>>from LA to HA is 4 times more expensive as flying from LA to NYC. We
>>>just
>>>can't justify blowing $2500 on airfare alone.
AZ Nomad
>>$1200 per person????
IIRC, one of the major hawaiian airlines had gone out of business right
about at that time.
That probably increased demand for the other existing flights, raising their
prices.
-hh
> okamuraj...@hawaii.rr.com (Jerry Okamura) wrote:
> >
> > .., it is those people who can easily afford to
> > pay the higher cost of flying that will continue to come to Hawaii.
>
> Are there enough of those to support the existing tourist industry?
Yes, but the 'better off' have plenty of other places to consider
going in the world. As such, the tourist industries will need to
adapt to the change in customer base and (admittedly broad brush),
raise their quality of service to improve their competitive value
versus these alternatives.
Afterall, why should I tolerate having a rude waiter in Kona, Hawaii,
when I can have a genuine rude waiter in Paris? ;-)
-hh
Jr.
"SMS" <scharf...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:Fvkok.4134$zv7....@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com...
With airfares being over $2,000 per couple you can go on a cruise and not
put up with the blatant price gouging that goes on in Hawaii.
We will take our Hawaiian cruise when we retire but other than excursions we
have no desire to stay in Hawaii.
Jerry Okamura
"-hh" <recscub...@huntzinger.com> wrote in message
news:1affe750-1fc4-42af...@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
-hh
> "-hh" <recscuba_goo...@huntzinger.com> wrote in message
>
> > Afterall, why should I tolerate having a rude waiter in Kona, Hawaii,
> > when I can have a genuine rude waiter in Paris? ;-)
>
> Becauase Paris don't have the great beaches and weather that Hawaii has?
Actually, the weather in Paris can be quite nice, and their waterfront
(Sein) has its high points too (I know this little Gelatto
shop)....IMO, you should have mentioned Pele instead :-)
Anyway, my point for mentioning this is to illustrate the
multidimensional aspects of leisure travel:
For example, since I'm on the US East coast, Paris is closer and often
cheaper than Hawaii. Not only airfare, but also accommodations and
food too.
Second, if what I want is "beaches & warm weather", it is
geographically a much short flight to Florida or islands of the
Caribbean. And as a scuba diver, I'll say that while Hawaii does have
some interesting endemic critters to its credit, the Caribbean reef
is more colorful, particularly in its sponges. Oh, and the water's
warmer, too.
Third, for how many years can one go on a vacation "To the Beach"
again and again and again before wanting more? The target demographic
(the NOT "less well off") has the resources to broaden their horizons
beyond the beach or golf course and seek out other "wanderings", be
they from Hawaii to Paris to Alaska to Machu Picchu to the Alps to
Rome to the Cayman Islands to the superficiality of Vegas. If a
family member gave them a copy of the "1000 Places to See Before You
Die" book, how many pages do you think that they have folded down as
'completed' by age 50?
This is not to knock Hawaii, but simply to illustrate that the
challenges they're facing is nowhere near as simple as many "sound
bite" solutions would like to suggest. Having spent 3 weeks on
holiday in Hawaii since 2005, there's things that we enjoyed, but a
lot that was underwhelming. We don't know when we'll go back, if
ever. And since there's easily 50 other islands just in the Pacific
alone that have more personal appeal as someplace unexplored and less
prone to overdevelopment, its not hard to find 10-20 years worth of
alternatives. YMMV.
-hh
Dillon Pyron
Then you will have no idea what you are missing.
Blatant price gouging? How so? Because damn near everything has to
be shipped in? Most of the crap that comes from China goes to LA
first, then back to Honolulu.
Although it kind of sucked to HAVE to do it, spending a day in
Makawawo was nice. And not something you are likely to do from a
cruise ship. And I'll bet you'll never make it to the observatories
on the Big Island for sunset and star gazing.