Jetstar opened direct flights from Melbourne to Honolulu last week, but airlines in Taiwan suspended U.S. flights.
Changing visa policies could bring more Koreans to Hawai‘i next year, but Japanese tourism has been on a decline.
Spring rains and flooding dented the Kaua‘i tourism market last year and could do it again this year.
“I do think there are going to be stories on the one-year anniversary,” said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kaua‘i Visitor’s Bureau. “That’s going to bring up the rains again.”
Perhaps most importantly, 2005 delivered a record breaking 7.5 million visitors to Hawai‘i by air, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Almost 15 percent of those visitors came to Kaua‘i — and many residents resented the crowd.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority on Friday outlined its plan to juggle those diverse issues while also marketing Hawai‘i to an international market.
“We’re celebrating success, but we’re trying to prepare for what may come up and bite us,” said Frank Haas, HTA vice president of marketing, speaking at a meeting with local industry leaders at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club. “We want to build a healthy and diverse market so we’re not overly dependent on any one market.”
Representatives from Hawai‘i Tourism Japan, Europe, Oceania and Asia, as well as the Hawai‘i Convention Center, presented initiatives designed to reverse a downward trend in the international market.
The number of international tourists on Kaua‘i fell 11.3 percent last year to 101,843 visitors.
Commercials, print ads, online campaigns — even a hula film set to debut in Japan — are expected to increase that number in coming years, representatives said.
But John Monahan, president and chief executive officer of the Hawai‘i Convention and Visitors Bureau, acknowledged that current infrastructure couldn’t sustain continually increasing traffic.
“The growth is creating issues,” he said. “We’d like to pledge our support to helping solve those issues.”
The state’s new tourism plan calls for a focus on the type of tourist, rather than the number of tourists, Haas said.
“Orientation has shifted from more visitors to targeting visitors,” he said.
The emphasis is on active travelers rather than affluent tourists, Haas said.
“The more the people do, the happier they are.”
• Charlotte Woolard, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or cwoolard@kauaipubco.com.
