Hawaii visitor satisfaction remains high, but Canadians might stay away
Christine Hitt
A new study finds that while Hawaii visitor satisfaction remains high, recent Canadian visitors are less likely to return, due in part to the political climate.
The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism released its visitor satisfaction study for the first quarter of 2025. The results come from a survey of recent visitors from eight markets, including U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan, Canada and Europe.
Hawaii received satisfactory marks, with most visitors in all markets rating it a 7 out of 8. Trip expectations also saw positive movement, with increases of "exceeded expectations" selections seen in the markets of U.S. West, U.S. East, Canada, Oceania, Korea, China and Europe.
The report found that repeat visitors from U.S. West gave higher satisfactory scores compared to first-time visitors from the same market. Also, travel party size among visitors from U.S. East made a difference: Travelers in groups of three or more people gave higher scores than those traveling alone.
Repeat visitors from U.S. West, U.S. East, Oceania and Japan were more likely to return to the state than first-time visitors. The study also found that traveler with higher incomes and education in U.S. West markets were more likely to return.
Canadian visitors less likely to return
When visitors were asked whether they are likely to return to Hawaii in the next five years, the number of Canadian visitors had the largest differential. Only 55% of Canadians said that they were "very likely" to return, compared to 68% in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the last 10 years, 2025 ranks the lowest.
Last year, Canadians' top reason for not returning was that it is "too expensive" (60%). This year, Canadians' responses include political climate (45%), high cost of travel (30%), long-distance travel (12%) and travel restrictions or relations (12%).
"High cost of travel" remains a top reason for not returning for U.S. West (48%), U.S. East (42%), Japan (34%), Oceania (48%), Korea (57%) and Europe (40%) markets.
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