The only Hawaii locale amid TripAdvisor.com’s Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise for 2016 is Kailua-Kona at No. 10.
Interest in booking travel to the Big Island destination rose 13 percent year over year, the study said.
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‘ON THE RISE’
TripAdvisor.com’s Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise 2016, location and year-over-year increase in destination booking interest:
| 1. Gatlinburg, Tenn. |
67% |
| 2. Orange Beach, Ala. |
91% |
| 3. Destin, Fla. |
32% |
| 4. South Lake Tahoe, Calif. |
34% |
| 5. Jackson, Wyo. |
40% |
| 6. Estes Park, Colo. |
56% |
| 7. Anchorage, Alaska |
34% |
| 8. Pittsburgh, Pa. |
31% |
| 9. Portland, Maine |
36% |
| 10. Kailua-Kona |
13% |
Source: TripAdvisor.com |
Looking at the list can be a tad confusing as increases in booking interest vary widely, and destinations do not appear in order of the percentage of increase.
The travel planning and booking portal analyzed several data sets in coming up with its ranking, which measured more than just percentage increases in booking interest, spokeswoman Julie Cassetina told TheBuzz.
The awards were primarily based on “positive TripAdvisor traveler review ratings for accommodations, restaurants and attractions across the destinations,” she said. “We also looked at the year-over-year increase in booking interest, as well as the year-over-year increase in site traffic to the destination (pages) on TripAdvisor.”
Booking interest for Orange Beach, Ala., soared some 91 percent year over year, but it is ranked at No. 2 on the rising destinations list, behind top-ranked Gatlinburg, Tenn., which saw a 67 percent increase in booking interest.
“Orange Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico and is a fantastic spot for travelers. It’s gorgeous,” said Cassetina.
“What a lot of these great destinations have in common is attractions, hotels and great restaurants in addition to their beautiful landscapes,” she said, making them great places to “see, stay and play for travelers.”
As for Gatlinburg, it has been a favored destination for years, in the Great Smoky Mountains, Cassetina said.
“We continuously hear feedback” from travelers about Gatlinburg’s “vacation rentals, wonderful hotel options, and it’s essentially an ideal base for exploring the park,” she added, speaking of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“You can ride an elevator 342 feet to the top of the Gatlinburg Space Needle, and from that elevation” see the 360-degree view of the mountains and Gatlinburg.
The TripAdvisor page for Kailua-Kona talks about the coffee beans grown in the area being among the best in the world, encourages visitors to walk along the “Royal Footsteps” stretch of Alii Drive and to perhaps “take stargazing to the next level with a nighttime visit to the summit of Mauna Kea.”
Cassetina wistfully shared that she has yet to visit Hawaii.
Meanwhile, Ross Birch, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau, said: “Kailua-Kona is full of inspiring experiences and home to a range of accommodations that both our residents and visitors enjoy, and we’re honored to receive this recognition by TripAdvisor’s trusted travel community.
“Those who have been here know about the town’s incredible offerings, such as the national parks, exhilarating ocean adventures, Kona coffee farms and other agricultural offerings,” he continued, adding that the Kailua-Kona area also offers “diverse shops and restaurants, historic Hawaiian landmarks and museums, and the vibrant energy felt along Alii Drive.”
Visitor industry officials obviously rely on more official, deeper demographic-delving to create tourism market forecasts, but, hey, positive publicity is positive publicity, right? Plus, it was free, as long as one doesn’t count all the marketing dollars spent on campaigns and promotions that got TripAdvisor-using travelers to Kailua-Kona in the first place.
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
