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by George

Hawaii Vacations are even more popular in 2011

August 31, 2011 in George's Observations by George

Waikiki Vacations

Hawaii Vacations

 

I Recently wrote about how we have been receiving a lot of Mexico Resort Reviews however I must point out that tourist taking Hawaii vacations are up significantly in 2011 over the previous two years. If you have not taken a Waikiki vacation in the last couple years, you will really enjoy the experience. Taking your morning stroll along the new Waikiki beachwalk promenade is great way to start the day. There are new hotels and many of your favorite Waikiki Hotels have been renovated.

Maui is still the mot popular island, especially for west coast U.S. travelers. Maui offers something for everyone. Maui’s world famous beaches, fabulous resorts, great golf courses and the nightlife of Lahaina town are major reasons why people say “Maui No Ka Oi” which is Hawaiian for Maui is the best!The fall season is a great time to schedule your Hawaii vacation as the crowds are gone and the prices come down.Enjoy the Journey,
George

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Is Luxury Travel Dead?

March 26, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Maui

I read this week that the Four Seasons Maui is now in default. Wow. This popular Maui resort has a very loyal following. Yet, even with the big name a great reputation and the beautiful beaches of Maui, it was unable to avoid bankruptcy. Does this event and other high-end hotel defaults indicate that luxury travel is dead?

Dead no, but changing yes. People want nice, but are looking for value. The Four Seasons Maui averages $425 per night plus taxes. You can feed a family of four for almost a month for the same amount as one night at the Four Seasons Maui. Stay for seven nights and throw in airfare for four at $500 a ticket and you have spent over $5k before buying food and optional tours.

People will always want the nicest they can afford. However, there has been a paradigm shift in how people view opulence and luxury.

  • Deluxe is in.
  • Opulence is out.
  • Best value is in.
  • Extravagance is out.

Big spenders? Not anymore. Consider that the average amount of money people gambled with in Las Vegas was a mere $580.
Purveyors of leisure escapes that recognize value for the dollar is the key to success will prosper. People who cling to the belief that people will blow money on opulence will continue to dwindle.

George

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The demise of Sunday newspaper travel sections a huge hit to Hawaii and Mexico tourism.

October 28, 2009 in George's Observations by George

Now I know you are thinking what’s the difference between online promotion and newspaper advertisements. But I would like to submit there is a huge difference.

I owned and operated a mid-sized travel agency in Silicon Valley for 20 years. We would run newspaper advertisements promoting Hawaii and Mexico vacation packages. These ads produced a great return on investment so we ran then every weekend, 52 weeks a year. We would co-op with big wholesale tour operators like Suntrips and Pleasant Hawaiian so we could run bigger ads than I could afford by myself. In the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News the Sunday Travel section readers would see these big ads promoting Hawaii and Mexico Vacations every weekend. In addition to my ads, 30 or 40 other travel agencies would run their own smaller independent ads. To add to the promotional frenzy, Ed Hogan at Pleasant Hawaiian would run lot’s of Radio ads hawking Hawaii vacations. Hawaii and Mexico Vacations were promoted constantly on the west coast. Now that everything travel is mostly promoted only on the Internet, Hawaii and Mexico are just another destination. The demise of Sunday newspaper travel sections has taken away the promotional advantage.

They must now compete on their own merits. As people surf online for vacation deals, they find many great destinations that are now promoted right alongside Hawaii and Mexico beach destinations. Hawaii’s not cheap and Mexico has issues that keep it in the news for the wrong reasons. No longer does Hawaii and Mexico enjoy the promotional advantage they once had from the Sunday travel sections. It will take new methods and new messages to promote Hawaii and Mexico vacations.

George

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