There’s no doubt about it, people are traveling big time again, and Hawaii is having one of its busiest summers. Some visitors are making up for lost time with what is coined “revenge travel.” That is when people are unwilling to cancel vacation plans again, have grown weary of being at home, are vaccinated, have saved up money and perks, and are ready to spend and go.
At the same time, in an interesting juxtaposition, cost-consciousness is key to consumers, who are saying that the price tag of their destination vacation is still largely determining where to go. Hawaii may want to pay special attention to this trend.
Even though 70% of U.S. consumers are ready to travel after being cooped up, both cost and safety remain the primary drivers as to whether a Hawaii vacation is in the cards or not, following a bizarre, stressful, and socially distant year, more than 50% of U.S consumers are planning on a vacation within the net 6 months. That is according to Discover and their annual travel survey.
Read on for what the survey shows and see our tips in today’s post on how to plan a value-oriented Hawaii vacation.
Boomers to the front of the travel line.
In terms of who’s most inclined to travel, Discover says that 28% of Boomers will take a vacation, while only 18% of Gen X will. There apparently is an inverse relationship between age and inclination towards adventure travel. Gen Z is aged 18-22, Millennials age 23-38, Gen X age 39-54, and Baby Boomers age 55-73.
“It’s clear consumers have a strong desire to travel again… U.S. consumers are considering costs, flexibility, and the spread of COVID-19 while traveling.” — Jacob Ayoub, Discover VP of consumer and competitive insights.
Consumers decide on destination largely based on cost.
When making a vacation destination decision, like Hawaii, 87% of consumers say that the cost of their destination is the most important factor, outranking all other considerations.
Tips to still enjoy a value-oriented Hawaii vacation.
1.We say it remains possible off-season but not during the peak of summer. Here are further ideas to help out.
2.There have already been multiple sales on airfare for late summer and fall. Those will continue. Car rental prices are slowly going down, and accommodations will be more plentiful with lower costs too. Airfares have already dipped well below $100 each way during brief sales, and we haven’t seen the end of that yet. More fall Hawaii airfare sales are just ahead, and if you sign up for our free emails, you’ll be the first to know about them.
3. Avoid the end-of-year holidays. But, if you still choose to travel at this highest-priced time of all, the lowest costs for flights to Hawaii will be December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Keep in mind, too, that departing for Hawaii after December 25 will be somewhat less expensive. Don’t expect easy availability or low cost on car rentals, accommodations, or activities. And remember to reserve all ground activities in advance, including a luau, helicopter tours, car rentals, and favorite restaurants.
4.From early January until later in March (before spring break), there will be excellent winter prices, making this a great time to visit Hawaii.
5.Avoid spring break between mid-March and early April 2022. That will be one of the most expensive times of year to visit Hawaii. Do not expect to see deals offered for spring break.
6.Between spring break and summer 2022 is another fabulous and lower-cost time for a Hawaii vacation.
Health and safety top of mind for travelers after cost.
Discover says that 80% of consumers are seeking accommodations with strict Covid hygiene protocols. They said that trend is not abating despite progress against Covid. 74% reported that cleanliness would remain a priority. And half say they will spend more on “splurge” accommodations that have strict Covid protocols.
Flying still hasn’t returned to prior popularity, but…
When it comes to Hawaii, there is virtually no choice, especially with cruising not returned. NCL recently said that it plans to restart its 7-day Hawaii cruises on the Pride of America starting November 6.
Discover said that only 39% of those surveyed would fly on their next vacation.
Note about the Discover survey.
The survey was conducted on behalf of Discover by Dynata and was conducted online from April 23 – 28, 2021, with a total sample size of 2,000 US adults (ages 18+). The indicated margin of sampling error was ±2 percentage points with a 90-95 percent confidence level.
Are you too deciding based on cost, or are you a revenge traveler, ready to go?
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My only Comment is “Baby Boomers” were initially 1946-1954, that would put that group at 74-67, extending them to 1946-1964 would broaden the Parameter to 74-57, but truthfully pushing the envelop by 10 years, is not the same generation. Look forward to see all in January 2022 @75 and feeling no different then 45, except for the Knee’s, a hui Hou!
Already booked for Hawaiian Airlines, Condo and car for May 2022! Next will be favorite restaurants and maybe a Luau this time!
Mahalo for all of the interesting articles!
Hi Donna.
Thanks. We love hearing they you’ll be returning again soon!
Aloha.
No just Florida. Western Wyoming – Eastern Idaho has been “open” since May/June 2020, and we had a record number of tourists visiting Yellowstone and GTNP last summer. At least, until this summer with new records. Our local ski area also had record season in terms of the number of passes/tickets sold. Not everyone in the country was scared and hiding in their homes last year. No one could fly anywhere, so driving vacations to national parks ….
By the way, I am surprised that “80% of consumers are seeking accommodations with strict Covid hygiene protocols.” Not on my radar at all. Maybe because the respondents to the poll are mostly old people still scared of COVID, despite presumably being vaccinated??
AFAIK, our vacation rental home on Kauai is not being out-cleaned any differently than it was pre-Covid panic, and it is booked solid for a year. Also pretty sure the theory of Covid being caught from doorknobs and countertops has been debunked. You breathe the stuff.
nope… Target employees MUST wipe down everything in Hawaii!!
I couldn’t agree more. Roughly half the country has little fear of Covid, and once States fully opened ( Florida last October) it has been game on for businesses and hapliness.
Covid is literally over for many, if not most States. Especially here in Florida, where I haven’t noticed a Covid sticker, announcement, or conversation in months. The only conversation we have about Covid, after a good laugh, is how much it must suck to be in a lockdown State. Especially in Hawaii, which I end up having to admit I live part time.😬
Only the weirdos wear masks outdoors in Fl.
Not all of us “old people” are afraid… I just rebooked Maui and I just got back on June first!
“Not all of us “old people” are afraid”
Of course not.
I was referring to the “80% of consumers” the above-blog post refers to.
Our local supermarket was jam packed yesterday, including a lot of seniors and, uh, “hefty” people (not mutually exclusive categories). No one was masked or distanced. Clearly not a “scared of COVID” crowd. They aren’t scared of double-bacon cheeseburgers, either. But this is Deplorable country.
Aloha BOH Bro’s
Along with pent up lack of travel pandemic frustration you have another layer of must travel individuals.
Over the past several months I’ve read many comments here from travelers re-booking Hawaiian trips 2, 3 and 4 times stating they must use airline and accommodation vouchers before the end of the year or they will expire.
I do not know what percentage this adds to the overall record travel numbers, but it will be interesting to see if numbers fall off after the first of the year.
Hi Richard.
Good point. We already see somewhat less demand approaching for this fall, so all the way around, things will settle into some cadence sooner than later.
Aloha.
If the mask, and testing mandate, continue through Fall I’d expect a drastic drop…. There will, or for some, already is a time when wearing the mask and being policed about it will get very very old. Considering no other State requires them anymore.
y’all are over thinking this… Most of America didn’t travel because nothing was open.. except FL of course.. which has been getting tourists since the Fall.
Great site to keep up with the rapidly changing rules for travel.
You can find some great deals and a lot of general information about all the islands.
Too late to cancel our trip. This antagonism disturbed us:
apple.news/A30FBO86sTuuvVYwyePS3Jw
What antagonism? (Not all of us subscribe to Apple News).