CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the booming Canadian economy have helped bring more Canadians to Hawaii. Above, a Canadian couple, with their daughter, arrived at Honolulu Airport in February.
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Hawaii’s warm weather attracts Canadian visitors
Visitor numbers from that country to the islands increased 26.8 percent last year
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Hawaii's visitor industry has seen a pickup in arrivals this week, particularly from international destinations like Canada, as officers and crew members from around the world gathered in Honolulu for the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
While there is little doubt that RIMPAC -- an event that has brought in 20,000 military personnel from 10 nations around the world -- will boost Canadian visitor numbers to Hawaii for July, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the booming Canadian economy already have produced definitive results that extend beyond this week.
As a destination, Hawaii is a "perfect match" for travel-seeking Canadians, said Consul General Marc LePage, who was in town this week to present an economic overview on Tuesday in Honolulu as part of a Hawaii Global Links forum and help host a Canada Day reception onboard the HMCS REGINA and HMCS OTTAWA.
"Life is beautiful here and it's cold in Canada," LePage said. "On average, Canadians are traveling more, staying longer and spending more."
Last month, while other tourism markets to Hawaii floundered, the showing from Canada increased by 13.7 percent, according to statistics from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Through May, 184,320 visitors from Canada have come to Hawaii, DBEDT said.
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Cmdr. Martin Teft, commanding officer of the HMCS OTTAWA, which is docked at Pearl Harbor as part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific international naval exercises, said he timed his family vacation around the event.
In his off-time, Teft accompanied his wife and children to Lanikai Beach, Sea Life Park, the Pacific Aviation Museum, Diamond Head, Ford Island, a luau and a visit to the North Shore, he said. An estimated 850 crew members and officers from the HMCS Ottawa, the HMCS REGINA and the Canadian Fleet Pacific, along with the hundreds of friends and family members that flew into Hawaii to join them, likely followed suit, Teft said.
"This is an event that all of us and our families look forward to," said Teft, who has participated in three RIMPACs, an event which this year has brought 20,000 military personnel from 10 nations to participate in the biennial naval exercises.
Because Canada will subsidize airfare for one family member each year, sailors often pick Hawaii as the place to reconnect, he said.
"We like Hawaii because the temperature is good and the people are very welcoming," Teft said.
While there is little doubt that RIMPAC will boost Canadian visitor numbers to Hawaii for July, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the booming Canadian economy already have produced definitive results that extend beyond this week.
Last month, while other tourism markets to Hawaii floundered, the showing from Canada increased by 13.7 percent, according to statistics from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Through May, 184,320 visitors from Canada have come to Hawaii, DBEDT said.
Hawaii's growth rate for Canadian visitors was up 26.8 percent last year, but a visiting Canadian consul general said that the state has just begun to tap into the region's potential as a source market.
As a destination, Hawaii is a "perfect match" for travel-seeking Canadians, said Consul General Marc LePage, who presented an economic overview on Tuesday in Honolulu as part of a Hawaii Global Links forum.
"Life is beautiful here and it's cold in Canada," he said. "On average, Canadians are traveling more, staying longer and spending more."
Indeed, travel to Hawaii from Canada is up year over year, despite passport processing and flight cutbacks, LePage said. A rule change on Jan. 1, 2007, that required passports for air travel between the U.S. and Canada caused travel disruptions, he said.
"There was an enormous backlog," LePage said. "We couldn't issue passports fast enough."
Margaret E. Murchie, a vice president for Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, said her Canadian parents were among those travelers impacted by the delays.
"It took them three months to get a passport," Murchie said. "Everyone was having problems, but they were all dying to come here."
While much of Hawaii's international destination marketing has concentrated on Japan, other Asia and Europe, C. Richard Fassler, an economic development specialist for DBEDT, said that new emphasis should be put on attracting the Canadian visitor.
"I believe that we should spend more time working with Canada," Fassler said. "We especially need to connect more with visitors from Western Canada, who seem to be doing the most traveling to Hawaii."
Due to RIMPAC, Hawaii's visitor industry already is seeing a much-needed uptick in arrivals this week, said Guy Underkoffler, senior vice president for Aqua Hotels & Resorts.
"We've seen a rise in occupancy," Underkoffler said. "RIMPAC is probably one of the reasons."
Into the future, Canada will continue to be a growth market for Hawaii, said Jay Talwar, vice president for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
"We've got a wonderful product and it's well lined up to continue attracting visitors from Canada. We are focused on North America and we are looking for more growth in 2009," said Talwar, who leaves today to meet with wholesalers in Vancouver prior to the start of their winter travel season.