Hawaii visitors still satisfied, particularly with Maui, Kauai

Ratings among Japanese tourists have increased slightly from 2002

Most visitors to Hawaii were satisfied with their stays here in 2005, according to the state's latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Report, released yesterday.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism found that approximately two-thirds of U.S. visitors and more than half of Japanese visitors rated their visit to Hawaii as excellent.

Nearly 63 percent of Canadian visitors and the majority of European visitors polled also rated their Hawaii trips as excellent. The other options were above average, below average and poor.

"High satisfaction is a leading indicator of customer retention and loyalty," tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said. "Satisfying visitors' needs and expectations encourages return trips and results in a higher likelihood to recommend Hawaii to others."

The proportion of excellent trip ratings dipped slightly from 2004 for the mainland United States and Canada, though it increased slightly for Japanese and European visitors.

Over the last four years, the percentage of Japanese visitors who have rated their Hawaii trips as excellent rose slightly from a low of 48.7 percent in 2002 to 53 percent in 2005.

New to the 2005 report is a breakdown of visitors' experiences on each island.

Maui and Kauai were well-liked, ranking highest in excellent ratings by U.S., Japanese and Canadian visitors, followed by Molokai, Oahu and the Big Island. Lanai brought up the rear, but still managed ratings of excellent by more than 40 percent of most visitor groups.

The survey also found U.S. West visitors tend to be independent travelers who aren't as much into sightseeing. More than half of visitors from the U.S. East enjoy Polynesian shows and luaus, and 46 percent are willing to try snorkeling and scuba diving.

Canadians tend to like high-energy activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, running and fitness walking. Europeans, who are predominately first-time visitors, tend to enjoy cultural activities and visiting historic sites.

For Japanese visitors, however, shopping continues to be the No. 1 activity -- for 99.1 percent. But don't expect them to go to swap meets (only a mere 12.3 percent reported doing so) as much as convenience stores (80.4 percent reported frequenting one).

Among U.S. visitors, 66.4 percent used the Internet for planning their trips -- not only for airline reservations, but rental car and hotel room reservations.

Japanese visitors tend to rely on travel agents and publications to plan their trips. But an increasing number of them are going online to find a hotel or research shopping venues.