HONOLULU (Island News) — Tourism in the islands is going up, but international markets still need a boost, according to the state’s leading economists.
This week, they discussed international tourism to the islands. Japan numbers are down making up only 45% of pre-pandemic visitor numbers.
Tourism on the islands is up but international markets, especially Japan, still need a boost.
On Thursday, April 17, a business tourism panel discussed how to tackle challenges to get those numbers back up. With the Japan market not even halfway recovered from six years ago, that is a major blow to Hawaii’s number one industry.
Experts addressed some of the things they’re doing in countering those depressed numbers. One expert’s solution on getting the Japanese market back is to redefine what that market actually is going to be moving forward—thinking not so much big picture but drilling down to the finer points.
Rick Egged, Waikiki Improvement Association President, said, “A major market, yes, but building, continuing to build those relationships. Instead of just saying we want big numbers, we have to continue to look at the different things that we can do with the people in Japan who have that special relationship with Hawaii and be able to bring them back year after year.”
Egged has also been vocal about making Waikiki, the face of our tourism market, safer. He mentioned the Waikiki Safe and Sound Program led by Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm in reducing small scale crimes, with the prosecutors office working with businesses in the highly trafficked area.
To give an idea of the importance of the industry, Jared Higashi from the Hawaii Tourism and Lodging Association shared that tourism brought in nearly $21 billion into the Hawaii economy last year, with about $2.4 billion in tax revenues.
AloJapan.com