The numbers say it all — Hawaii is an amazing place to visit, and the latest Hawaii tourism count for 2015 proves it!
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), a record total of 8,649,357 visitors came to Hawaii in 2015, a 4.1 percent increase over 2014. And, they spent $15.2 billion in expenditures, an increase of 2.3 percent year-over-year. In fact, on any given day, Hawaii played host to 214,469 visitors, an increase of 3.5 percent versus 2014.
Where are all these visitors coming from? Here’s a breakdown of Hawaii tourism by regions-of-origin:
- U.S. West: The award for most visitors goes to the U.S. West! In total, 3,518,472 visitors came from the region, up 7.1 percent. Total expenditures increased 6.8 percent to $5.3 billion.
- U.S. East: Visitors from the U.S. East numbered 1,788,573, with a slight drop (-0.6%) in visitor expenditures to $3.7 billion.
- Japan: The number of visitors from Japan decreased slightly (0.8%) to 1,499,167, and expenditures decreased significantly (9.8%) to $2.2 billion.
- Canada: Arrivals dropped 1.4 percent to 517,238 visitors, and expenditures declined slightly to $1.1 billion (-0.9%).
- Other Markets: Although it’s still a developing market, arrivals from Oceania grew 7.2% to 397,704. Visitors from other Asian countries numbered 378,444, which is a 2.7% increase. Arrivals from Europe (+0.3% to 143,435 visitors) were similar to a year ago but arrivals from Latin America declined (-7.6% to 27,806). Combined expenditures by these visitors rose 10.5 percent to $2.8 billion.
The number of visitors from Japan may have decreased slightly, but experts are betting on a turnaround. In fact, the HTA just announced that Japan’s largest airline group is introducing newer, larger aircraft with non-stop service between Japan and Honolulu. And, get this: in just three years, visitors from Japan can enjoy a trip to Hawaii in the world’s largest passenger aircraft, which can seat more than 500 passengers.
According to ANA, on April 28 of this year, ANA will begin offering round-trip flights from Tokyo/Haneda to Honolulu on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which increases seating capacity by 24 seats per flight to 240 total seats in a two-class cabin.
But, the REAL big change comes in 2019. That year, ANA will upgrade and expand its service again to Honolulu with the introduction of its new A380 aircraft. The world’s largest passenger aircraft, the double-deck A380 provides ANA with the capability to significantly increase its seat capacity to Honolulu, as the aircraft can seat more than 500 passengers!
Hideki Horiguchi, vice president and general manager of ANA Group’s Honolulu Office, said, “Hawaii is an important destination for Japan’s travelers to visit and do business. ANA Group is committed to providing our customers with the very best in high-quality aircraft and comfortable service on their travels. We believe our customers flying to Honolulu will be very pleased with the transition to our B787 aircraft this spring and the introduction of our new A380 in three years.”
What does all this mean for you? It means competition for some of the best hotels and tours will be tight, if visitor numbers continue to increase. That’s where a company like Hawaii Aloha Travel comes in handy. The travel experts there can help you customize your vacation or even help you design an All-Inclusive Vacation, so you can let us do the work for you. Forget competing with others for over-priced hotel rooms and tours! Hawaii Aloha Travel can take the pressure off and partner with you to create the Hawaii vacation that’s just right for you.
Looks like Hawaii isn’t going out of style anytime soon, and the numbers prove it. So, get cookin’ on your travel plans soon!
