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Close to 40% of all visits to Hawaii from Australia continue to be booked through travel agents – and that’s official.

Hawaii Tourism Oceania presented the visitor statistic results yesterday to trade and industry partners at the annual Ohana update in Sydney. The 2018 visitor statistics show Oceania arrivals increased by 3.5% in that year, bringing the total visitors to 409,133, the highest figure seen by the region to date.

The Oceania region consists of Australian and New Zealand travellers – meaning that on average more than 1100 Oceania travellers head to Hawaii every day.

A year of hard work and marketing initiatives by Hawaii Tourism Oceania saw Australian visitor figures remain consistent year on year with 324,471 arrivals.

Country manager Australia for Hawaii Tourism Oceania, Giselle Radulovic, expressed satisfaction yesterday with the 2018 visitor result, pointing out that it was the first time ever that the Oceania region had produced more than 400,000 visitor arrivals to Hawaii.

From Australia, 37% of travellers had booked through travel agents, she said.

The extremely positive result has set up Hawaii Tourism Oceania for an even stronger year in 2019 “as we continue to promote the diversity of experiences on each Hawaiian Island,” Radulovic said.

The Ohana update provides an opportunity for Hawaii Tourism Oceania to brief industry and trade partners on 2018 results and upcoming activities.

Radulovic said the repeat visitor rate in 2018 reflected Hawaii’s consistent popularity with Australian travellers. It remained high at 52.9%, ahead of other tourism source markets for Hawaii: Europe, Latin America, Taiwan, Korea and China.

The results highlight the importance of the Australian market for Hawaii’s tourism industry. Australians stayed on average 9.74 days in 2018.

The long average length of stay for Australian travellers reflected Hawaii’s depth of experiences and appeal to this market, Radulovic said.

Sunset in Honolulu

“Australians are willing explorers and Hawaii offers so many different activities, from beaches to water sports, road trips and helicopter tours over volcanoes.”

Hawaii Tourism Oceania revealed recent findings from its consumer market research, which showed the top brand perceptions of Hawaii for an Australian traveller.

Known well for its beaches, Hawaii’s outstanding nature and landscapes were the top perception of the Aloha state, followed by its suitability for family travel and appeal to couples.

The consumer market research also showed that travel agents remain an integral booking channel when travellers are arranging a holiday to Hawaii.

Edited by Peter Needham