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Sharpening an image
Hawaii faces tough competition
in the realm of visitor perception
While Hawaii remains a top destination for travelers from Japan and the U.S. West and East, competition from other destinations is getting more intense, according to a study on the effectiveness of the state's tourism marketing efforts.
The study, based on a survey of recent long-haul travelers by TNS Plog Research, found Hawaii consistently fell below most competitor destinations in offering good value for the money and unspoiled beauty. Also, Japanese visitors did not view the islands as having an intriguing culture or history.
The survey specifically covers the markets of the U.S. West, U.S. East and Japan, which represent 41 percent, 26 percent and 21 percent of Hawaii visitors respectively. Combined, the three markets account for about 88 percent of visitors to the islands.
"It alarmed me that some people didn't see Hawaii as unspoiled," said John Kitchen, who works for Hawaii Forest & Trial, a nature adventure company on the Big Island.
It's important that all travelers see Hawaii as unspoiled, Kitchen said. "We need to educate people about Hawaii and show them a Hawaii that's pristine."
The revelations in the study will give the state the opportunity to tell its story better to Hawaii's key visitor markets, said Frank Haas, tourism marketing director of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The survey was presented yesterday during the 2004 Hawaii Tourism Conference at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Rick Cain, a vice president with TNS Plog, said the current perception of Hawaii as a destination was generally unchanged or positive compared with a year ago.
Promotional messages need to strive to improve awareness of the quality of the Hawaii experience to offset the perception that Hawaii is an expensive destination, Cain recommended. Hawaii's marketing messages also need to focus on convincing visitors that Hawaii remains a beautiful, scenic, uncrowded destination despite continued development, he said.
It's critical that Hawaii establish itself as a destination with a unique sense of place, said Ramsay Taum of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.
"Marketing a destination is about the experience," Taum said. "What's essential to Hawaii is the art of welcoming strangers."
Programs like Sunset on the Beach and Brunch on the Beach need to be preserved because they offer visitors a chance to interact with Hawaii's people and get the authentic experience that they crave, said Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris.
"People are coming here to experience the Hawaiian host culture. If we lose our sense of place people won't come anymore," Harris said.
Visitors from the U.S. West and Japan indicated almost no change in how they perceive Hawaii's image, but visitors from the high-spending U.S. East said that they have an improved perception of Hawaii. More U.S. East travelers see Hawaii as being a safe, clean destination that offers unique scenery and experiences
While the state's travel market from Japan is recovering, several places are gaining on Hawaii as a preferred destination. The number of Japan travelers who ranked Hawaii as the No. 1 destination rose from 59 percent to 64 percent this year; however travelers are increasingly considering Europe, Guam/Saipan, Korea, China and Thailand.
Fewer Japanese travelers say they have made plans to visit Hawaii in the next two years, with the number falling from 32 percent to 29 percent.
Japanese travelers also typically rated Australia as a nicer place to visit than Hawaii, but the state received better scores on lodging variety and prices, ease of travel and opportunities for family travel.
When compared to China and Thailand, Hawaii is more often seen by Japanese travelers as having a clean environment, being safe, being good for family and having different types of places to stay.
Hawaii's strong U.S. West market gained first-time and repeat travelers, but the average number of visits declined from a year ago, according to the survey. However, among U.S. West travelers, Hawaii is still the top destination by a landslide with 57 percent of survey respondents indicating that they are considering a trip to the state. Europe, Mexico, Alaska, Las Vegas, the Caribbean and Australia were seen as the next best destinations, in that order.
"Interest in Hawaii is stronger in this market than it was in the second quarter of last year," Cain said.
U.S. West travelers saw Hawaii as a destination that was easier to get to and offered a better variety of cuisines than Alaska and Australia. With few exceptions, U.S. West travelers also rated Hawaii as a nicer place to visit than the Caribbean and Mexico. However, the percentage of U.S. West travelers who rated Hawaii as a good value slipped slightly, Cain said.
While the high-spending U.S. East domestic market is Hawaii's second fastest growing market after Japan, survey results were weakest from this market. The survey found that today's U.S. East travelers are more likely to pick Florida, the Caribbean, Las Vegas and Europe over Hawaii, in that order. They were also just as likely to pick California as Hawaii. Predictably, the ease of travel here was a major perception problem, as was value of the dollar spent here. While U.S. East visitors rate California and Florida as destinations that offer more value for the money, better variety in food and lodging and easier travel, they saw Hawaii as a safer destination offering unique scenery and a clean environment.
More U.S. East survey participants said they planned to visit Hawaii within the next two years than those surveyed last year, but the number of U.S. East travelers who were considering Hawaii for their next vacation fell to 22 percent from 33 percent a year ago.
Also, the number of U.S. East travelers surveyed in the second quarter that were very or extremely pleased with their last trip to Hawaii declined, falling from 91 percent last year to 85 percent in 2004.
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