Golden Week, a traditional holiday time for Japanese travelers, attracted more visitors to Hawaii than last year but still brought only about half the volume of 2019.
From about April 29 to May 5, Golden Week tends to attract more Japanese visitors because it includes four holidays during that time. By planning their travel around Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), and Children’s Day (May 5), Japanese travelers can maximize their vacation time.
But Danny Ojiri, vice president of sales and marketing for Outrigger Enterprises Group, said “this year’s calendar isn’t especially favorable for Hawaii-bound travel. The holidays are more spread out, requiring travelers to take additional vacation days to make a longer trip feasible.”
The Golden Week holidays this year did not allow travelers to combine holidays as effectively with vacation days, and some favored designations that were closer to home for shorter trips.
Ojiri added that another challenge for Hawaii was prices, which have continued to climb, consistent with the broader rise in the cost of living since the pandemic. Also, he said that the prevailing consumer confidence sentiment in
Japan — much like in many other countries closely tied to the U.S. — is one of
uncertainty.
“A stronger yen certainly helps make Hawaii travel more affordable. However, an overly strong yen could hurt Japan’s export-driven economy,” he said. “We believe U.S. policy will continue to influence the yen
in ways that support American trade competitiveness. Already, we’re seeing some signs of the yen strengthening, which could create more opportunity — but the balance is delicate.”
Ojiri said even before factoring in the exchange rates, costs are higher across the board than they were in 2019 and 2024 for everything from airfare and fuel to hotels, activities and meals.
“While Golden Week
remains a popular time for travel, the surge in airfare costs during the holiday can be a deterrent,” he said. “We’re also seeing a shift in behavior among Japanese travelers — they’re more flexible with their schedules and increasingly choosing to travel during off-peak periods to avoid higher prices and crowds.”
Japan, historically Hawaii’s top international market, has continued to lag the tourism recovery. Tourism officials have said it could be 2027 or longer before the Japan market is restored to its 2019 level of more than 1.5 million visitor arrivals.
Arrivals from Japan and spending already were down heading into Golden Week. In March, arrivals from
Japan fell to 61,505 visitors, a drop of 4.7% from March 2024 and 54% from March 2019. In March, spending by visitors from Japan fell to $91.9 million, down 2.9% from March 2024 and 50.4% from March 2019.
During the first quarter
arrivals from Japan fell to 163,932, a decline of 5.4% from the first quarter of 2024 and a drop of 56.3% from the first quarter of 2019. During the first quarter spending by visitors from Japan fell to $243.2 million, down 4.8% from the first quarter of 2024 and 53.6% from the first quarter of 2019.
It’s not that travelers from Japan are staying home, they just aren’t traveling to Hawaii at the same level during Golden Week and
beyond. Golden Week is an important measure of the health of Japan travel to
Hawaii as it’s one of the busiest travel times, which also include New Year’s, the summer Obon season in August, and the series of September holidays that make up Silver Week.
Eric Takahata, managing director of Hawaii Tourism Japan, said Golden Week was up about 10% over 2024, and the hope is that recovery will continue building into summer, where the pace from late July to September is up, and beyond.
Ojiri said, “We’re feeling optimistic about summer. Advance bookings are trending upward — something we haven’t seen in quite a while.”
He said Japan Airlines’ flight frequencies beginning July 1, with expanded service from Narita, Kansai and Nagoya, are adding to the positive outlook. Moreover, Ojiri said that Nippon Airways will increase service from Tokyo to 14 flights per week effective June 16.
Takahata said tourism
officials are shooting for 900,000 visitors from Japan to come to Hawaii by year’s end — about a two-thirds of the 1.56 million visitors who came from Japan to Hawaii in 2019.
He added that a full recovery is the goal for 2027; however, getting there will require a full tourism industry press, especially given changes under the Trump Administration, which have led to growing economic uncertainty. Takahata said there also has been plenty of news coverage about deportations of green card holders and the difficulties that some international visitors have faced entering the U.S.
He said Hawaii needs to work harder to keep from losing ground to aggressive marketing from other destinations like Okinawa, South Korea, Southeast Asia,
Australia, Guam, Thailand, Europe and Singapore.
“We’re number one on
Expedia for demand, but we are number seven for booking conversions against these competitors,” Takahata said.
He said Okinawa “has
always been a thorn in
Hawaii’s side” as it’s just a
2-1/2 hour flight from the Japanese mainland and offers plenty of luxury resorts.
“Even Halekulani in Okinawa is doing gang busters,” he said.
Takahata said Singapore is another competitive
destination to watch.
Singapore is about the same distance from Japan as Hawaii and has an unfavorable exchange rate too; however, he said the government is really investing in building demand in Japan.
“They spend a ton of promotion money in Japan. They are creating more reasons to go and more perks. They do things with Japanese celebrities,” Takahata said. “They are already back to their 2019 level.”
He said many competitive destinations have increased their marketing budgets,
but HTA has allocated just $6 million for Hawaii Tourism Japan’s 2025 marketing budget, which is down from $9 million in 2019.
Ted Kubo, JTB Hawaii president and CEO, said increasingly Hawaii must find ways to add value to trips. He said JTB Hawaii recently launched the Oli Oli Ocean Station in Hawaii Kai, an
exclusive playground for customers who buy the package.
He said JTB also recently partnered with Mobi on a rideshare service to transport JTB’s travelers throughout pre-designated pickup and drop off points in Waikiki and Ala Moana. Kubo said customers get
access via an exclusive rideshare app.
“We are trying to bring up the value of our trips and the value of the experiences and the convenience that the company provides to the tourist,” Kubo said. “We are getting a lot of positive feedback.”
Aya Takita, 45, and Emri Koga, 24, who were visiting Hawaii on a JTB Hawaii package in April said the rideshare offering helps provide more value during the trip, which is important given that prices are much higher than they were in 2019.
“Almost half the people in Japan cannot travel to Hawaii because of the cost, and it’s even higher during Golden Week,” Takita said.
She added that package prices for Golden Week in Singapore, Taiwan, and
Korea are about half the price of Hawaii.
Koga said, “Cost is of course an issue, especially for younger people. A lot are going to Korea.”
Ojiri said there are many repeat travelers coming from Japan, but a large portion of the Japanese market, especially younger generations, has yet to experience Hawaii.
“To reach them, we need to offer more in live entertainment: live concerts, cultural festivals and sporting events that give travelers a specific reason to choose Hawaii,” he said. “The
new Cirque du Soleil show ‘Auana at the Outrigger
Theatre is an example of an attraction that perfectly combines culture and live entertainment.”
Ojiri said Outrigger has seen momentum through
efforts like ANA’s “Tube” concert, which will bring more than 2,000 fans to Hawaii. He said “Tube” — often referred to as Japan’s answer to The Beach Boys — has a strong nostalgic pull and last played here in 2000 and 2005.
Ojiri said in July that two former boy-band stars are expected to draw more than 800 fans to the new Outrigger Theater in Waikiki.
“Similarly, Japan Airlines’ support of events like the Honolulu Marathon, Hapalua Half Marathon and Century Ride continues to position Hawaii as a preferred destination for active travelers,” he said. “These events not only drive visitation but also garner valuable media exposure that helps keep Hawaii ‘ top-of-mind.”
