A Maui Moment: Krystle Alcain of the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas and the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas; Bridgett Parker, social marketing manager at Maui Visitors Bureau; Deanna Miller of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua; Leanne Pletcher, director of public relations and marketing at Maui Visitors Bureau; Candy Aluli of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua; and Jamie Mesenburg of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa.
Maui welcomes Vancouver’s travel press.
Candy Aluli of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and Leanne Pletcher of Maui Visitors Bureau.
The aloha spirit was flowing at Vancouver’s Blue Water Café recently, as Maui Visitors Bureau and hotel representatives wined, dined and updated the city’s travel press about Maui’s recent boost in visitor figures.
Reps from some of the island’s most exquisite resorts were in attendance, including the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, the Westin Ka’anapali, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa.
And they had a lot to be happy about, because there’s no denying it: Canadian visitor figures to the Valley Isle are definitely on the rise.
Business is Booming
In 2016, the island welcomed 242,371 Canadian visitors, but in 2017 this jumped to 262,379 – an impressive increase of 8.3%.
And the latest year-to-date figures for January 2018 reveal that the outlook for Canadian visitor figures is very healthy indeed. In fact, compared to year-to-date figures for January 2017, there has been a boost of 7.8%.
“Our Canadian visitors, especially from Vancouver, are very important to us,” explained Leanne Pletcher, director of public relations and marketing at the Maui Visitors Bureau. “We find that they really embrace what Maui is all about, whether they’re going there for the beach, the culture or the culinary.”
The Biggest Month in Hawai'i History
Maui’s success story is an integral part of a recent overall increase for all of the Hawai'ian Islands. Together the islands witnessed the highest monthly spend in their history in JAN 2018, a whopping $1.69 billion from visitors from across the globe.
And as the Hawai'ian Island’s fourth largest source market -- spending some $171.1 million in January —Canadian business is an important part of that success story.
Increase in Vancouver Lift
“We are delighted with the growth in Vancouver flights to Maui this past year at 4.6%,” Pletcher added.
“The economy of that is a big attraction for visitors because they can take along the whole family if they find that the fares are a little more reasonable. This allows us to spread our aloha spirit to an even broader Canadian audience.”
Vickie Sam Paget Western Correspondent
Hailing from the UK, Vickie Sam Paget is a travel and tourism storyteller located in Vancouver, BC. When she’s not on the road, creating engaging travel content or gazing at the North Shore Mountains, you can usually find her curled up with a good book or sipping a pint of the good stuff in her local Irish bar.
