HTA launches strategy to offset tsunami losses
From Pacific Business News
Armed with clearer projections on the impact of the fallout from the Japan earthquake and tsunami of on March 11, Hawaii Tourism Authority officials dipped into their reserves and came up with $3.1 million on Wednesday to use for a recovery strategy to make up for about 154,000 fewer visitors who now aren’t expected to be coming to the Islands in the next two months.
Japan Airlines slashed flights to Hawaii by one-third, adding to the challenges faced by the state's visitor industry since the earthquake, tsunami and radiation scare crippled its No. 3 visitor market. From April 6 to about April 27, JAL will pare weekly flights from Narita to Honolulu to 14 from 21, the carrier announced on March 28, due to a 25 percent drop in its international passengers.
Two months is how far out the HTA is willing to project at this point, given the still-evolving crisis in Japan and how the rest of the world is responding to it. So, two months is what hotels, restaurants, retailers, tour operators and other attractions have to work with for planning their contingencies as the numbers get bleaker going into the summer — the busiest time of year for us.
Looking at the passenger counts from Japan to Hawaii during the past week, arrivals are down by an average 22 percent year-over-year. During the same week last year, Hawaii averaged 4,313 visitors from Japan each day. As of March 23, that daily average had dropped to 3,353.
