Maui hotels beat
Oahu in 1998, report says

Star-Bulletin staff

Hotel occupancy on Maui surpassed Oahu's for the first time last year, as more tourists from the mainland and Canada bypassed Waikiki and went straight to the neighbor islands, an industry report shows.

A survey by the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers said Maui had an average 1998 occupancy of 73.7 percent, compared with Oahu's 72.3 percent and 73.1 percent in Waikiki. In 1997, Oahu occupancy averaged 77.2 percent while Maui was at 72.3 percent, according to yesterday's report. Last year Maui had the highest average room rate of all the islands at $153.60, up 1.8 percent from $150.90 in 1997.

Statewide, hotels and vacation condominiums had an average occupancy of 71.8 percent last year, down from 73.9 percent in 1997. The statewide average room rate last year was $127.25, up 1.8 percent from $124.96 in 1997.

According to figures from the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, the number of westbound visitors whose Hawaii trip consisted entirely of neighbor island stays was up 8.7 percent last year.

Oahu hotel occupancy last year was down for the third year in a row.