Isle visitor satisfaction falls in 2006
Two-thirds of visitors rated their most recent trip here as excellent, a decrease from 2005
While nearly two-thirds of the visitors to Hawaii in 2006 rated their most recent trip as excellent, satisfaction levels remain significantly lower than the high of 72.4 percent reached in 2003, a new state survey shows.
The 2006 Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Report, released yesterday by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, found erosion in satisfaction levels among visitors from the mainland and Europe.
Even so, less than 7 percent of all visitors to Hawaii in 2006 said that the trip did not meet their expectations at all, the survey found.
"Hawaii residents working in all sectors of our visitor industry should be proud of their efforts to uphold this high level of visitor satisfaction," said Tourism Liaison, Marsha Wienert.
While 64 percent of visitors to Hawaii from the U.S. West rated their 2006 trip to Hawaii as excellent, that represented a 1.3 percentage point decline from 2005 ratings.
Overall, visitors from the U.S. West, Hawaii's top market, tended to rate the islands lower than their U.S. East counterparts.
About six out of every 10 Canadian visitors rated their 2006 trip to Hawaii as excellent, a level that has held steady for about five years.
Also stable, albeit at a lower level than among Canadians, were the ratings from Japanese visitors in 2006: Just over half found their trip to Hawaii excellent.
Better ratings in 2006 came from European visitors, but their 66 percent "excellent" rating is four percentage points lower than it was in 2005.
High satisfaction levels are important to ensuring a strong visitor industry, Wienert said.
"Satisfying visitors' needs and expectations encourages return trips and results in a higher likelihood to recommend Hawaii to others," she said.
The full 2006 Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Report is available on the DBEDT Web site at
www.hawaii.gov.