THE MAUI NEWS VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beach goers enjoyed Maui's Kaanapali Beach on May 22, the day before it was officially proclaimed "America's Best Beach" in the yearly ratings by Stephen P. Leatherman, a top coastal expert and a professor at Florida International University in Miami. Since many returning travelers to Hawaii, especially from the West Coast, have already visited Oahu and are looking for something new, they often bypass Waikiki and head straight for the more low-key charms of the neighbor islands.
More tourists looking
beyond WaikikiThe recent addition of several direct
flights between the neighbor islands
and the mainland has made it easier for
visitors to bypass Oahu's urban resort
For decades, a Hawaiian vacation meant one thing: Waikiki.
These days, many American visitors to the islands are avoiding the bustle of the world-famous beach community and its street performers, high-rises, taxi cabs, crowded beaches and posh designer shops.
Since many returning travelers to Hawaii, especially from the West Coast, have already visited Oahu and are looking for something new, they often bypass Waikiki and head straight for the more low-key charms of Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
With the recent addition of several direct flights between Hawaii's other islands and the mainland, it's never been easier.
"Maui is definitely a demand destination at this time," said David Uchiyama, spokesman for Starwood Resorts & Hotels, which operates 13 hotels across the state.
Starwood has three properties on Maui -- the Kapalua Bay Resort, Sheraton Maui and the Westin Maui.
"At one point, Waikiki was the main destination, but people have experienced Waikiki and are venturing off to the neighbor islands," Uchiyama said. "Maui has a lot of the infrastructure Waikiki has, but has not developed itself to the same extent. I think that balance is something people appreciate."
In contrast with metropolitan Honolulu, the Valley Island features several spacious resorts, many with nearby golf courses. And although there is a growing traffic problem, Maui only has 117,644 residents, compared to 876,156 on Oahu. But Oahu still drew more tourists than Maui and the Big Island combined through the first four months of this year, with 1.27 million visitors, followed by Maui (724,596), Big Island (408,461), Kauai (312,126), Lanai (39,016) and Molokai (33,933), according to state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism figures.
Still, Oahu was the only island to report a decline in arrivals, with a drop of 3.2 percent compared to the same period in 2002. Meanwhile, Maui experienced a 9.5 percent increase.
"All the islands have very good characteristics, but Maui has a very good hotel and tourism infrastructure and also has very strong name recognition," said Joseph Toy, president of Hospitality Advisors LLC. "The other part to that is hotels on Maui have very substantial meeting space."
Maui hotels and resorts are the busiest in the state, despite the highest average daily room rate of $195, which is $80 higher than Oahu. "For years, Waikiki was the driver of the market, but Maui has really pulled away during the mid-1990s until today," said Toy.
Maui, which has more than 15,000 hotel rooms, had an occupancy rate of 76.3 percent for the first four months of 2003. Oahu's 33,000 rooms were at 72.3 percent occupancy, Kauai at 69.3 percent and Big Island hotels at 69 percent, according to a new report by Hospitality Advisors.
Oahu relies heavily on Japanese and other international visitors. In turn, it has been hit the hardest of the islands by the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the SARS epidemic in Asia.
"Waikiki is different because it's high density and really an urban resort," Toy said. It has "a much higher percentage of first-time visitors and higher percentage of Japanese."
Tourism officials have been trying to lure back visitors from Asia and sell Oahu for its shopping, nightlife, world-class restaurants and diversity in landscape and activities.
Many hotel chains have spent or are planning to spend millions upgrading and expanding their Waikiki properties to lure tourists and regain some of the luster. For example, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts has a plan to spend $300 million on redevelopment in the area.
A few years ago, Hilton Hawaiian Village added the 453-room Kalia Tower and a new facade, complete with waterfalls and giant statues of hula dancers. The Hilton, however, has since closed the tower in a long struggle to get rid of a problem with mold.
The city also has spent millions trying to revitalize and spruce up Waikiki through beautification projects and events, such as Brunch on the Beach and Sunset on the Beach, targeted at bringing tourists and locals to the area.
"It's always been a concern for us and I think the steps are being taken to improve Waikiki and rejuvenate interest here," Uchiyama said.
But fewer visitors are making multiple-island trips, or "island hopping," mostly because of increased waits at the airport and many more flights being offered directly to the neighbor islands from the mainland, Toy said.
Even with the tourism downturn following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, several carriers have expanded service to the other islands.
Continental Airlines is beginning a daily nonstop flight between its Houston hub and Maui later this month.
Hawaiian Airlines has added service between Maui and Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego in the past year.
Aloha Airlines has added flights connecting the neighbor islands with three other Southern California cities and Vancouver, British Columbia.
"It was strictly because of demand," Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman said. "Maui's a very hot destination."
