HONOLULU- The number of tourists arriving in Hawaii via cruise ships surged last year to 124,456, a 22.9 percent increase compared to 2010.
David Uchiyama, vice president of brand management at the Hawaii Tourism Authority, says there are a number of reasons for the rebound: Hawaii is considered a safer port-of-call then Mexico, and more companies are keeping their vessels in the Pacific at the end of the Alaskan touring season, which runs from May through September.
The HTA is hoping to capitalize even more on the rallying cruise ship industry by creating unique onshore activities for passengers, for instance the Mele Mei music festival in May and the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival in September.
“If we can create the demand for the destination and draw people's attention to here, our islands, I think that we'll be in a good position,” said Uchiyama.
For those that depend on tourism for their livelihoods, the increasing number of passengers arriving by cruise ship is a positive sign.
“We have noticed it and it's been good for us,” said Chris McInerny, the owner of a transportation company that works closely with the industry. “We had a little low with the recession, so right now we're kind of back to normal where we were about five years ago.”
On Wednesday it was the MS Europa that was docked at Pier 11 in Honolulu Harbor. The ship is owned by the German company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and caters to mostly high-end clients. Many of the passengers onboard requested to go shopping in Honolulu during their brief stay.
“They said they definitely want to include in their tours one or two hours of shopping to the high end stores,” said freelance tour manager Brigitte Lesiak. “We had to tell the company (tour bus) drivers which high end stores to go to.”
The number of cruise ship arrivals to Hawaii reached 130,999 in 2007, 109,475 in 2008, 96,606 in 2009 and 101,239 in 2010.
Norwegian Cruise Line continues to operate the U.S. flagged Pride of America in the Hawaiian Islands by offering seven day tours that begin and end in Honolulu. Other cruise ships visiting Hawaii are required to stop at a foreign port before touring to the islands, a requirement of The Jones Act of 1920.
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