# Interesting Article Regarding the Recession & Hawaii [merged]



## ricoba (Jan 2, 2010)

The article is, Recession Hits Hawaii Flat, and it's a good read in today's LA Times about the troubled Hawaiian tourism industry.


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## LAX Mom (Jan 2, 2010)

Interesting article, thanks for the link!


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## itchyfeet (Jan 2, 2010)

One of the reasons tourism is down in Hawaii  is the increase in air fare.  From Sacramento, unless there is a special, air fare has almost doubled.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jan 2, 2010)

itchyfeet said:


> One of the reasons tourism is down in Hawaii  is the increase in air fare.  From Sacramento, unless there is a special, air fare has almost doubled.



This is very true, and it certainly is the reason some people aren't traveling to Hawaii.  BUT, if you look at airfare trends, you will notice a very definite drop in airfare for more last-minute fares, and all wise TUG members should watch for these trends and take advantage of cheap weeks and those accompanying bargain fares, even 2 weeks before the check-in date.  Just last night, I saw Portland to Maui for $291 using SideStep.com, all fees included.  It wasn't just one airline with those incredibly low fares.

Our Maui trip is coming up in April, and the prices I am seeing from Denver are rarely less than $749, yet if I travel in a few weeks, the fares are more like $530.  Iwill continue to watch the trends, and I have no doubt I will get airfare for a bargain price if I wait.  

San Jose to Maui is often at a bargain price, too.  We might consider flying into Portland or San Jose and staying the night near the airport, in order to get one of those early morning bargain flights.


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## Malibu Sky (Jan 2, 2010)

*LA Times Article-Hawaii Tourism Hurting*

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hawaii-tourism2-2010jan02,0,3417201.story

Interesting article about tourism hurting in Hawaii, the bent is that they somewhat blame Obama which I believe is a joke.  The real problem is that "Hawaii" has not made any efforts to lower rates during this so-called recession; a "garden view" room at the Westin Maui is "only" $450 per night and it will cost a family of 4 a minimum of $2000 for airfare before they even hit the islands. Over the last few years, we opted for Europe, more bang for your buck, or Mexico, could send 2 weeks for the cost of one in Hawaii.

I love Maui and would be happy to return but we need some $$ incentive.


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## sdtugger (Jan 2, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> This is very true, and it certainly is the reason some people aren't traveling to Hawaii.  BUT, if you look at airfare trends, you will notice a very definite drop in airfare for more last-minute fares, and all wise TUG members should watch for these trends and take advantage of cheap weeks and those accompanying bargain fares, even 2 weeks before the check-in date.  Just last night, I saw Portland to Maui for $291 using SideStep.com, all fees included.  It wasn't just one airline with those incredibly low fares.
> 
> Our Maui trip is coming up in April, and the prices I am seeing from Denver are rarely less than $749, yet if I travel in a few weeks, the fares are more like $530.  Iwill continue to watch the trends, and I have no doubt I will get airfare for a bargain price if I wait.
> 
> San Jose to Maui is often at a bargain price, too.  We might consider flying into Portland or San Jose and staying the night near the airport, in order to get one of those early morning bargain flights.



This is true to some extent ( but not true for many holiday periods for example).  Even for dedicated Hawaii devotees, it is hard to continue to pony up more for airfare than many comparable locales.  I've complained about this before and debated the comparison between west coast to hawaii versus cross country fares.  And, of course, there is always Mexico, etc.  It is often cheaper to fly from the west coast to Aruba than it is to fly to Hawaii.

What Hawaii needs is some airfare competition.  And, the Hawaiian tourism officials are delusional if they think that the real problem is a need for more promotion.  We all know tha Hawaii is there.  But, we aren't going to overspend to get there, especially during a recession.  Tourism officials would do well to spend their money on incentives for new air carriers instead of new ads.


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## MOXJO7282 (Jan 2, 2010)

Malibu Sky said:


> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hawaii-tourism2-2010jan02,0,3417201.story  The real problem is that "Hawaii" has not made any efforts to lower rates during this so-called recession; a "garden view" room at the Westin Maui is "only" $450 per night and it will cost a family of 4 a minimum of $2000 for airfare before they even hit the islands.



I did find the same thing with the Westin, but the Marriott and Hyatt seem to have adjusted pricing down. I was looking to add 6 days to our Pres week Maui Mariott trip and considered the Westin, Marriott and the Hyatt. The Westin didn't seem to lower pricing but the Hyatt and Marriott seem to have. 

Using a AAA membership for the Hyatt I found a deluxe OF unit for $309, wich included Breakfast buffet  for 2, and a $261 rate for the same (no BF) at the Marriott using my Marritt Plat discount. Those are pretty good rates for prime time Maui.

Overall its still the job market. With so many people out of work and many others with uncertainty, much fewer are looking to travel.

I'm in the latter with job uncertainty, but I'm keeping our vacation plans intact because its so important to my family and I'm not going to alter that unless its absolutely necessary.


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## Sunshine Wanted (Jan 2, 2010)

*Surprised...*

We just got back Thursday from Hawaii.  7 nights on the Big Island and 3 nights on Oahu.  We were on the Big Island last year at xmas as well.  I can say that this year we noticed an increase in tourism (on Hawaii).  We stayed in the Waikoloa area, and last year the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel was a ghost town - you just saw very few people.  This year was *much* different!  It was good to see that things had picked up and it was quite a noticeable difference.

Oahu on the other hand was SO crowded and busy!  I can't imagine it being any busier than what we saw earlier this week.  Lots of tourists - it was difficult to walk, restaurants were full and if you didn't have reservations you either didn't get in, or waited well over an hour (closer to two); beaches were packed.  Even the North Shore was stop and go traffic creeping along the highway, with lines everywhere you went.  Maybe this was just the holiday period bringing out the tourists, but things seemed to us to be quite full.  So much so, that we won't be going back to Oahu most likely.  If we do - it will be because we want a big city experience (fine dining and shopping), and it would only be for a couple of nights, combined with another island which is more relaxing and peaceful.  

I am surprised by the article from the Times, as to us - it seemed as if tourism was improving.


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## cvmar (Jan 3, 2010)

The Maui Hyatt also has some great deals through Costco.  A friend of mine added 6 nights on Maui at the Hyatt in February and her nightly rate for a deluxe ocean view was $278. That included a car, breakfast for 2 daily, all taxes including the dreaded daily resort fee and a $100 activity credit.


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## LisaRex (Jan 3, 2010)

We own at Westin Kaanapali and have booked a 2 bdrm for mid-June 2010. We're having difficulty finding another family who can afford to join us because airfare is $1100 per person.  Even with free lodging, few families can afford to spend $5k just for transportation costs (airfare and rental car) before even beginning their vacation!


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## readyalready (Jan 3, 2010)

We know a number of families trying to get to Maui for spring break, the last week of March.  We know a few near panic because of the nearly $1200/pp airfare from Denver.  Yes, several weeks ago rates dropped for travel before March 4, it will be interesting to see if they also drop for the peak weeks around Easter.


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## LisaRex (Jan 4, 2010)

LisaRex said:


> We're having difficulty finding another family who can afford to join us because airfare is $1100 per person.



I just checked and now the rate is $1600 per person.  

Yeah, I can see a lot of people signing up for that pain.


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## ronreid1954 (Jan 4, 2010)

*Airfare to Maui March 26 to April 2*

I find a fare of 876 pp DEN OGG rt the last week of March and 762 pp June 11-18 on US Airways


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## ricoba (Jan 5, 2010)

You know, I find it interesting that a primary issue in this thread is the high cost of simply getting to Hawaii.  I am so thankful that we live in Southern CA and a trip to HI, doesn't cost an arm or a leg.  

But I think that there are other issues besides just the cost of airfare that are effecting Hawaii tourism.  While I know many on TUG are great travel planners and love the whole concept of getting travel deals etc.  

But what about the non-planning non-timeshare traveler, who uses hotels etc?  I know there are a lot of timeshares in HI, but I would guess they are a small percentage of HI visitors, compared to hotel guests.  I would guess that it's these type of travelers who are having a greater effect on HI tourism, rather than the planning, smart timeshare traveler.  

Any thoughts?


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## meatsss (Jan 8, 2010)

A week for 2 in Maui from Chicago with airfare , hotel and car can start at $3300 and go up to $10 K if you stay at the 4 Seasons through a tour planner.

If you consider a 2 bdr maint. fee of around $1200, airfare of $1700 for 2, it's not a bad deal, but the rooms are smaller and no cooking facilities.


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