Hawaii Still the Top Dream Vacation for Americans
According to an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, seventeen percent of adults polled by the Gallup Organization from May 22 to 24 said that if money were no object, Hawaii would be their dream destination. Moreover, no other destination is even close. Europe (11 percent) Australia (6 percent), Italy (5 percent) and Alaska (4 percent) rounded out the top five destinations -- although none of them came close to Hawaii's lead.
The poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 households, used an open-ended format allowing those surveyed to name any place their heart desired. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Although bookings for the summer season have been strong, the article points out that there is a wide array of specials being offered by hotels to keep the travelers coming.. Since there is no question that there is still plenty of demand for Hawaii as a destination, offering specials could be a way for properties to help guests adjust to Hawaii's increasing room rates or entice them to book earlier.
A decline in available hotel inventory and air seats has had a tremendous impact on the Hawaii market, accoding to Chris Kam, director of market trends for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
The stock of available hotel rooms has declined because of condo conversions and there is a substantial decline in budget lodging. However, a perusal of the listings for vacation rentals in VacationRental.org and other directories suggests that there are a number of luxury vacation rentals in Hawaii that remain available
