AP reports say that Hawaii’s hotel industry expects occupancy rates to continue declining as the island tourism slump continues.
The state’s hotels were 69% full in June, down 7 percentage points from the same time last year.
The industry consulting group Hospitality Advisers released the report, which comes several days after the state reported a 14% decrease in visitors travelling to Hawaii in June.
Senior Vice President for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Hawaii Keith Vieira says “every indication shows it’s getting worse.”
He says hotels are trying to come up with incentives for visitors.
Those could include asking for a federal waiver of landing fees or asking the state to temporarily eliminate the hotel room tax or general excise tax.
A Report by The Mole from AP
