In recent news, Hawaii has emerged as a global haven for safety and ideal volunteering activities, as revealed in the Q1 2023 Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey (VSAT), a comprehensive survey carried out by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). This noteworthy survey has validated that Hawaii is meeting or exceeding the expectations of nine out of ten visitors.

Hawaii, widely celebrated for its natural beauty and warm hospitality, has achieved outstanding safety rankings by 95% of visitors across major market regions. These markets span the U.S. West, U.S. East, Canada, Japan, Oceania, Korea, and China, all of whom rated the Aloha State as “excellent” or “above average” regarding its safety and security measures.

Furthermore, the VSAT report underscores that Hawaii offers abundant opportunities for visitors to participate in community-oriented volunteer work. Data shows that a striking majority of surveyed visitors from significant market areas gave Hawaii excellent or above-average ratings in this respect. The survey garnered these favorable ratings from U.S. West (93%), U.S. East (94.6%), Korea (94.9%), Canada (91.4%), Oceania (89.4%), and Japan (80.7%).

According to John De Fries, the Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO, the warm reception that tourists receive from the local residents significantly contributes to Hawaii’s thriving tourism industry. “The hospitality of the local kama‘āina, tourism professionals, and residents who interact with visitors daily is the driving force behind Hawaii’s status as a globally favored destination,” he said.

The survey presented an impressive satisfaction level among all visitors, with 88.8% from U.S. East and 88.1% from U.S. West rating their trip as “excellent”. Likewise, 85.5% from Korea, 85.3% from Canada, 78.4% from Japan, and 73.6% from Oceania expressed high levels of satisfaction. It also became evident that over 90% of visitors felt Hawaii either met or exceeded their expectations.

The eco-conscious travelers also lauded Hawaii for its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The state received “excellent” or “above average” ratings for being environmentally friendly from 96.3% of the U.S. West, 97.8% U.S. East, 93.2% Japan, 89.5% Canada, 90.3% Oceania, and 95.7% Korea visitors.

Revealing the future travel intentions, over 60% of visitors from all markets are “very likely” to return to Hawaii in the next five years. This percentage is even higher among repeat visitors, particularly from U.S. West, U.S. East, Japan, and Canada.

The VSAT survey, designed to collect insights from key visitor markets who recently visited Hawaii, was conducted from January 12 to April 11, 2023, involving a total of 4,742 participants who traveled to Hawaii in Q1 2023.

For the comprehensive results of the Q1 2023 VSAT report, please visit the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s official website.

Written by: William Trevan

====================================