INTERNATIONAL tourism in Hawaii has remained fairly steady this year while the number of domestic visitors has plummeted, but the industry should brace for even more difficult months ahead. The Wall Street meltdown in the past month has become global, which is likely to cause a further drain on Hawaii vacations.

The number of visitors to Hawaii from the mainland fell by 19.3 percent in this year's first three quarters from the same nine months of last year, while tourism from foreign countries dropped by only 1.1 percent, according to state figures. Visitors from Europe actually grew by 7.6 percent, which can be attributed to the growth in value of the euro over the dollar.

South Korea's entry this month among countries whose visitors are not required to obtain visas to enter the U.S. and China's recent designation of the U.S. as an approved destination are expected to boost tourism, but not in the near future. The travel industry will need to lower its prices and offer bargain packages in order to make the islands affordable.

David Kong, chief executive of Best Western International, said both room rates and revenue per available room have been up this year at Best Western-branded hotels in Hawaii. “;Best Western has always been known for quality and value,”; Kong said, “;so during a downturn we are always more resilient.”;

Nearly half of the respondents to a recent survey said the financial crisis would not change their future travel plans, which means that “;American travelers are trading down, but not out,”; said Peter Yesawich, chairman of Ypartnership, co-sponsor of the survey. Put another way, the tourism glass appears to be more than half-empty.