Chinese holidays seen filling flights to Hawaii

Japan has its Golden Week, and now China is gearing up for its Super Golden Week.

The convergence of Chinese National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival this year will give many Chinese more than a weeklong holiday starting later this month. As with Japan’s Golden Week in April and May, the Chinese holidays should boost tourist arrivals in Hawaii at a time when the visitor count usually slows.

Helping fuel the increase are steps the U.S. has taken this year to make it easier for Chinese to get U.S. visas.

Chinese travel agencies are reporting strong bookings for Super Golden Week.

China Eastern Airlines, whose two flights a week from Shanghai to Honolulu mark the only nonstop service out of China to Hawaii, has added two more flights to meet increased demand.

"We expect more visitors than in past years because the two holidays are connected," said Yuli Chen, assistant general manager for travel agencies China International Enterprises and Golden Seagull Group based in Hono­lulu.

"Traditionally, the national day holiday is always a big season for this market," she said. "We’re happy they have a little bit longer holiday so that will allow more passengers to come over."

Chinese National Day, which is Oct. 1 each year, is celebrated over a seven-day period and concludes Oct. 7. The Mid-Autumn Festival varies each year with the lunar calendar and is Sept. 30 this year. With some Chinese visitors combining those two holidays with annual leave, Chen said her companies are preparing for increased business over a two-week stretch.

"The big season will be starting Sept. 25 all the way to Oct. 12 because we know people will be taking their annual leave before or after the official holidays," Chen said. "During the official holidays, airfare is rather expensive so people would rather come out earlier or stay later."

Ctrip.com International, China’s largest online travel company, said travel packages during the holiday cost 20 percent to 30 percent more than nonholiday prices.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority projects Chinese arrivals in Hawaii for October to be up 35.3 percent to 11,811 from 8,728 a year ago. The numbers reflect a growing market since Chinese visitors were up just 22.4 percent in October 2011 over the same month in 2010.

"This is a big chance for tourism over here," said C.J. Chen, owner of BCM International, which provides translation, multimedia design and marketing public relations focused on the Chinese tourism market. "Rooms (occupancy) for the Chinese market will be up for sure in October. There will be a lot more (individual) travelers on the street looking for good food in Hawaii and it’s a big opportunity for the vendors."

Hawaii has been enjoying a boon from Chinese tourists, whose $407 per person, per day spending through midyear ranks as the highest of any group visiting the islands. Total visitor spending from China more than doubled through June to $150.6 million from $71 million.

Visitor arrivals from China through midyear were up 42.9 percent to 49,171 from 34,413 in the year-earlier period.

"My last trip to China they talked about the national holiday period being strong," David Uchiyama, vice president of brand management for HTA, said from Japan, where he was attending a trade show for the Japan Association of Travel Agencies.

"The Chinese market continues to do well for us and we’re looking at ways of expanding. Beijing is not served, and we’re still talking with many different carriers about the possibility of filling that void."

China Eastern, which flies between Shanghai and Hono­lulu on Tuesdays and Fridays with its 230-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft, added flights for Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 and said those flights are already 90 percent full.

Hilton Hawaiian Village spokeswoman Cynthia Rankin said the resort has had to turn away several Chinese groups due to high room occupancy forecasts and is now taking reservations only from individual travelers.

Mike McCartney, president and CEO of HTA, said projections show the U.S. will host as many as 5 million Chinese visitors in 2015, up from about 1.3 million in 2011.

"We have been positioning Hawaii to benefit from this momentum," McCartney said via email from Qingdao, China, where he was attending a China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit. "This year we are expecting a 40 percent increase over last year for a total of approximately 115,000 visitors.

"It is estimated that the Chinese stay 11 days in the U.S. and spend about $7,000 per visitor. This is one of the best ways for the U.S. to create jobs through tourism as an export. This also applies to Hawaii."

Super Golden Week is one of the longest holiday periods in China, and unlike Chinese New Year, there are no family obligations during this holiday, said Renee Hartmann, CEO of New York-based China Luxury Network.

"So most Chinese citizens will be traveling during this period — both in China and increasingly overseas," said Hartmann, whose company provides research on China’s luxury sector and Chinese consumers.

The surge in Chinese tourism has been aided by the creation of more than 50 new visa adjudicator positions in China this year. The planned addition of a consulate building in Guangzhou and a consular section in Wuhan will further increase visa processing capacity in China by an estimated 120 percent compared to 2011 levels.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama issued an executive order requesting that the Departments of State and Homeland Security increase nonimmigrant visa processing capacity by 40 percent in China and Brazil, and shorten the wait time for personal interviews to three weeks or less. Visa appointment waits spiked at times to exceed 100 days in 2010 and 70 days in 2011. Interview wait times in China are now an average of five days.

The White House said in a New Travel and Tourism Progress Report released Wednesday that the State Department is on track to meet the target in China.

"This progress report is great news for Hawaii," said Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, who is assigned by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to lead Asia-Pacific strategy and development. "President Obama’s policy is working and in six months, visa processing capacity is up and wait times are down. The China-Hawaii tourism relationship is growing and the potential for our economy is tremendous."