What Hawaii Tourism Rebound Means To You

Last month the State of Hawaii set a new record: 1.3 billion dollars in visitor spending. That was up 14% over the prior January thanks to an increase in the number of visitors (nearly 650,000) and dollars spent during their vacation. The unexpectedly good results were helped by a stronger than expected holiday season followed by the pent up return of large numbers of Hawaii snow birds.

So what does that mean to you and, most importantly, how to get to Hawaii on the cheap:

We are about to see more flights coming to Hawaii

You already know about the recently announced services from the east coast. In June, Hawaiian will start service between Honolulu and JFK and United will commence flying Washington, D.C. to Honolulu.

Beyond that, any day now, Allegiant will announce their plans for Hawaii service scheduled to begin this summer. That was due to be announced two weeks ago but has for some reason been delayed. I expect to see Allegiant Hawaii service from both California and Oregon.

There should also be more news upcoming from Alaska Airlines, as they continue to expand their Hawaii offerings. I was recently surveyed by Alaska and the nature of their questions leads me to speculate that more Southern California to Hawaii service will be on tap soon.

Southwest has been all too quiet about their Hawaii plans. They have already begun taking delivery of their new planes, and could announce at any point if they are so inclined.

More flights mean new airfare sales

While airfare deals are always tricky to find, more flights will mean more opportunities. On the other hand, with smaller planes, the airlines are in the best ever control of their inventory and ticket prices. So sales will remain short-lived. Knowing your availability and being ready to book within the first few hours of a deal is becoming even more important. When Hawaiian introduced their New York to Honolulu flight, they did so with a brief $212 one-way fare. That price subsequently doubled.

Hotel and car rental deals harder to get

With Hawaii expecting more visitors, it going to get trickier to find the best accommodation and car rental deals. Therefore we need to get even more creative. Consider alternatives to hotels including vacation rentals, and start looking for changeable hotel positions as quickly as possible when planning your Hawaii vacation. Don’t forget about Priceline too. It isn’t advisable to wait on car rentals bookings either, as they can become inordinately expensive or even sell out entirely.

Consider Alternatives

Are you willing to drive to a neighboring airport. It can often save you hundreds of dollars per person. Can your summer vacation be the second half of August? That is going to be much less costly than the first half. Flying inter-island? The time of day has everything to do with the ticket price. Are you flexible about your activities? Inquire and you may find that certain dates/times cost considerably less.

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