Hawaiian tourism booms as travellers go online
November 2, 2010

Despite the recent recession in the United States, the Hawaiian tourism industry has barely batted an eye, and the gloomy outlook on mainland USA can't be found in Hawaii, which continues to hold it's position as the number one tourist destination in the world. Some things are changing in paradise however, as a growing number of people planning a trip to Hawaii these days are doing all the work themselves and saving big money on their vacations. Gone are the days when tourists make a visit to their local travel agent and make a choice between two or three different carriers, hotels and car rental companies. The web has become the source for the best travel deals available, and news of the savings is quickly spreading; especially amongst the Babyboomers, who until recently were shying away from online purchases. These 50-65 year olds are now becoming aquainted with the online reservation process and insiders in the tourism industry are taking notice.

This new trend in online travel agencies allows people to search for and book their own vacations, often at rack rates that can be hundreds of dollars lower than those advertised by the large international travel companies. Cheaper fares and more accessable information are resulting in an explosion in Hawaiian tourism that has not been seen since the 1950's. And although the prices have come down at the low end of the price spectrum, there are lots of repeat visitors that are more than making up for this loss in revenue. Hotel and car rentals in Honolulu, Maui and Kona are frequently sold out and travellers are being advised to book months in advance if they want the best deals.

Ken and Cheryl Matheson are newly retired and just returned home to Huston, Texas from their 10 day trip to Maui and Kona. They booked their entire trip online and claim to have saved over a thousand dollars: “We visited Maui in 2007 and it cost us almost two thousand dollars more than the trip we just took.” says Ken with an ironic smirk.

“On the one hand it's great, because this time around our car rental was just under two hundred bucks for the whole ten days, but on the other hand I wish we heard about this three years ago!”

Ken and Cheryl were told about some websites by friends who visited Hawaii last spring. Ken and Cheryl were told about some websites by friends who visited Hawaii last spring.

“They told us about a car rental website where you don't even have to give a credit card number in order to reserve. So we thought we'd give it a try.” says Cheryl before adding “It's the twenty-first century after all!”

The Mathesons are not alone. The tourism industry has seen an avalanche of customers turning to the internet. CarRentalHawaii.net is the website Ken and Cheryl used to book their car, and it's true that the site does not actually require your credit card number in order to reserve a car rental in Hawaii. They claim to be a “100% free booking service”. This website, and other sites like it, are changing the face of the travel industry and giving travellers more control over their trips in the process. Booking online means you will have to organize each element of your visit and match up the dates and times correctly. Although this means a bit more work in the planning phase, the reward is usually a big savings on overall travel costs. And it's not only discounted rates that people are getting online. CarRentalHawaii.net also advertises unlimited mileage, free extra drivers as well as low rates for young drivers, just some of the “perks” of their free service.

This can all add up to a large savings over the course of a 10 day trip. Especially when it comes to hotels which often represent the biggest cost to travelers. Hotels in Honolulu are notoriously expensive. Many travel websites offer rooms at 10%-15% less than if you book directly with the hotel itself. Last minute deals are nothing new, but the internet makes them easier to get. The Mathesons ended up with a free room upgrade. Their friends reportedly received a free spa treatment.

For Hawaiian service providers these free perks are a small price to pay in order to make is clear to cash strapped customers around the world that Hawaii is still open for business.

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