Hainan Airlines, China’s largest private airline, has applied to offer direct service to Hawaii starting later this year. Visitor industry executives say tourism from China to Hawaii could lift off if Hainan Airlines gets government approval to begin offering direct service this year.
Sadly, visitor industry executives have a strong tendency to come out with these over-enthusiastic remarks at the mere suggestion of a direct flight.
If Hawaii thinks it will see a flood of eager, money-spending tourists from China flooding to the island state it is laboring under a false delusion.
Even if Hainan Airlines eventually increases the frequency to three times a week, that is not a serious amount of tourists.
The airline, which has been operating nonstop between Beijing and Seattle four times a week since last June, has filed applications with the US and Hawaii Departments of Transportation to offer weekly, nonstop service on a three-class Airbus A340-600 to Hawaii.
Tourism from China to Hawaii actually declined 3.5% to 54,618 visitors in 2008.
State Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert said, "We think that it could double in the next 18 months and then double again."
Which means she thinks in three years it may be 150,000.
To put that into perpective last year total tourism to Hawaii from all over the world was 7,628,000. Which means that tourism from China might get to be 0.02%.
Hawaii Star Bulletin said the new service, which is primarily targeted at Chinese tourists, will, according to Toby Tamaye, president of AT Marketing, finally allow the state to get its share of travelers from sought-after romance, family and luxury markets. Perhaps that was written for him by a PR agency.