Canadian Visitors: Welcome Boost To Maui Economy

Maui has always been, and will always be, a very popular destination for vacationing Canadians, but 2011 has seen it become even more popular, with an increase in July 2011 of well over 15% in the numbers of travelers from Canada when compared to July 2010. This increase offset the decrease in Japanese tourists (-18.9%), visitors from US East (-4.4%) and US West (-1.5%). While the overall numbers are down slightly for the season, Canadian tourists have brought a welcome boost to the economy with each and every plane that lands. The year started off with a boost in the number of vacationing tourists from the US East and West, but those numbers fell off in the second half of the year. Japanese visitors slowed down slightly, and have remained down, following their horrible earthquake and tsunami catastrophe in March 2011.

With the Canadian currency riding strong, Maui Visitors Bureau Executive Director Terryl Vencl said Canadians are “wonderful visitors for us.” With consumer confidence low in the US, friendly cash-laden Canadians are taking up the slack and arriving with money to spend. The Maui Visitors Bureau is “pounding the pavement, if you will, in Canada,” to keep that flow of Canadian tourists streaming into Maui.

For those curious about the actual numbers, July 2011 (213,723 visitors) totaled at 392 fewer visitors than July 2010 (214,115 visitors). This is a drop of 0.2%. However, for the first seven months of the year, the total has been an uptick of +5.6% overall, with 1.32 million this year compared to 1.25 million during the same period last year. Across the state, air travelers fell 1.9%, but it is reported that the folks arriving are staying longer (+5.3% at an average of 7.88 days) and spending more (+5.2% for a total average of $173 per person per day). While statewide arrivals were down by close to 2%, the Canadian traveler numbers jumped a whopping +28.6%, making July the 13th month of double digit growth from the Canadian tourism market.

Overall, regardless of the global economic uncertainty, Hawaii’s tourism economy continues to do well, and continued growth through the fourth quarter and into 2012 is anticipated. HTA President and Chief Executive Officer Mike McCartney said, “With continued interest in new routes to Hawaii, the HTA is working with airlines to maintain and grow airlift to our islands to meet demand.”