Survey: Visitors’ experience on Maui has improved since Aug. 8 wildfires

The latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey results show that visitors’ experience on Maui among US West and US East travelers have improved since the Aug. 8 wildfires, according to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. The percentage of visitors to Maui that rated their trip “excellent” was 89.8% from the US East, 86.3% from Europe, 86.2% from the US West, and 85.9% from Canada. Additionally, the percentage of visitors from these markets “very likely” to return to Maui in the next five years remained high: US West (71.5%), Canada (63.0%), and US East (59.0%).

Travelers from all markets who visited the island of Maui cited famous landmarks or imagery and natural beauty as their primary motivation to visit, followed by outdoor or sporting activities and events that take place on the island, according to the HTA.

“Working closely with the community, HTA is working diligently to educate travelers and encourage mindful visitation to Maui and the rest of the state through targeted branding efforts in our key markets,” said Daniel Nāho‘opi‘i, HTA interim president and CEO. “As you can see in our new US campaign — ‘The People. The Place. The Hawaiian Islands’ — it’s about visually sharing the natural landscapes and uniqueness of our islands by uplifting Hawai‘i’s musicians, lei makers, chefs, farmers, cultural practitioners, fashion designers, and more who rely on a thriving visitor industry.”

Overall, Hawai‘i continues to meet or exceed visitor expectations, according to the latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey, which surveyed visitors from the US West, US East, Canada, Japan, Europe, Oceania (Australia and Aotearoa), Korea, and China who visited the state from January through March 2024. Following resident sentiment, measuring visitor sentiment is one of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s Key Performance Indicators, along with average daily visitor spending and total visitor spending.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism recently released the VSAT results for the first quarter of 2024, which found that at least 90% of visitors from each target market rated Hawai‘i as having met or exceeded their expectations. The majority said they are very likely to recommend Hawai‘i to their friends and relatives.

Overall sentiment among visitors from all markets surveyed remained high, with 88.5% of visitors from the US East and China rating their most recent trip to Hawai‘i as “excellent,” followed by 87.4% from the US West, 86.6% from Canada, 86% from Europe, 83.8% from Japan, 80.6% from Korea, and 72.4% from Oceania. First-time visitors from Japan gave higher mean scores than repeat visitors from this market.

More than 90% of visitors from all markets rated Hawai‘i as “excellent” or “above average” when it comes to being a safe and secure destination, including 100% of visitors from China, 98.5% from Canada, 97.6% from Korea and Europe respectively, 97.5% from the US West, 93.9% from Japan, and 93.1% from Oceania.

“Time and time again, these positive outcomes demonstrate the value of Hawai‘i as a safe and welcoming, world-class destination,” said Mufi Hannemann, HTA board chair. “It’s a direct result of every connection made in the travelers’ journey, from the flight or cruise attendant welcoming guests onboard, to the front desk associate, to the server of the family-owned restaurant, to the tour operator whose roots go back generations, to the farmer selling fresh produce, and the artist sharing their handmade goods.”

Of those surveyed, at least 51% of visitors from all markets indicated they were “very likely” to return to the state of Hawai‘i in the next five years, with US West, Hawai‘i’s largest major market area, leading the way at 81.4%. Over three-quarters (76.7%) of visitors from China, followed by 68.4% of visitors from Canada and 67.8% of visitors from Korea, are very likely to return in the near future.

Similar to previous quarters, most markets surveyed cited the high cost of vacationing in Hawai‘i as the biggest barrier to returning in the next five years. Visitors from Europe cited the flight being too long as the greatest barrier to visiting again in the next five years.

DBEDT’s Tourism Research Branch contracted Anthology Research to conduct the VSAT survey. A total of 5,538 visitors were surveyed during this period, between Jan. 9, 2024, and April 9, 2024.