Hawaii is Looking Farther West to the Far East for Visitors

August 14th, 2008

China and South Korea have comprised little more than a niche market for Hawaii and the rest of the U.S. travel industry, but that’s changing now.

Now it’s being predicted that eased travel restrictions for both China and South Korea will double the number of visitors from those Asian countries within two years.  Numbers are climbing slowly compared to other major international markets, but the percentages are impressive. Last year, Hawaii saw a 33.5-percent increase in spending by visitors from China and South Korea.

Already, South Korea is America’s fifth-largest source for foreign visitors, and has the seventh-largest Internet usage in the world with 90-percent of all households connected to high-speed Internet.  Currently, 35-percent of South Korean travelers choose their travel destinations based on travel agencies; while another 25 percent rely on friends, and 18 percent base their plans on information they find on the Internet.
 
In the meantime, industry officials are urging agents and destinations to cater to the Chinese as a growing group, as well.  Chinese travelers now are spending about $1,000 per person per trip, and that doesn’t include lodging or transportation.  Statistically, about $710 is spent on shopping; but only about 120 percent is spent of food.  The U.S. is trailing Europe and the rest of Asia in attracting Chinese tourists, but the U.S. numbers are improving, and that could be a good sign in the face of slow-economy-fed declining tourism numbers across the board.

Posted by: Jim Winpenny

Entry Filed under: Kauai, Maui, Molokai