Japan–Hawaii summit aims to boost visitor recovery

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than 200 tourism leaders from Japan and Hawaii are in Honolulu this week, working to rebuild one of the state’s most important visitor markets.

The Japan Summit 2026 brings together top travel sellers from Japan with local businesses, including hotels, restaurants and retailers, to strengthen partnerships and develop new ways to attract Japanese visitors back to the islands.

“It’s an in-person meeting where we bring about 100 top sellers from Japan to Hawaii to interact directly with our local stakeholders,” said Eric Takahata of Hawaii Tourism Japan.

“That’s how partnerships are formed and promotions are created to help bring Japanese visitors here.”

While Japan remains a key market, recovery has been gradual since international travel reopened following the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s also been a little slow because of the exchange rate, which is in favor of us, not them,” Takahata said.

“There are also global factors that impact travel confidence.” Still, he says the trend is moving in the right direction. “We’ve seen growth year over year since 2023 when Japan fully opened up,” he said.

With challenges like currency exchange beyond local control, tourism leaders are focusing on travelers who are able to visit now. “We’re trying to accelerate the growth,” Takahata said. “We’re talking about the high-value, high net worth traveler that’s able to come now. It’s a smaller footprint, but higher spending for us here in the islands.”

Tourism officials say the return of Japanese visitors has a direct impact on the local economy.

“Everybody wants the Japanese market to come back,” Takahata said. “They’re one of the highest-spending visitors to the islands, which means more jobs, more revenue for the state, and more support for local businesses.”

For now, tourism leaders say patience (and Hawaii’s signature hospitality) will play a key role in recovery.

“We just have to continue with the aloha spirit and welcome our visitors from Japan,” Takahata said.