Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. That year also saw the arrival of
the first jet airliners, which brought 250,000 tourists to the state. The personal touch that had
defined aloha gave way to the sheer force of numbers. Waikiki's room count nearly doubled
in 2 years, from 16,000 units in 1969 to 31,000 in 1971, and kept increasing until city fathers
finally clamped down on growth. By 1980, annual arrivals had reached four million.
In the early 1980s, the Japanese began traveling overseas in record numbers, and they
brought lots of yen to spend. Their effect on sales in Hawaii was phenomenal: European
boutiques opened branches in Honolulu, and duty-free shopping became the main supporter
of Honolulu International Airport. Japanese investors competed for the chance to own or
build part of Hawaii. Hotels sold so fast and at such unbelievable prices that heads began to
spin with dollar signs.
In 1986, Hawaii's visitor count passed five million. Two years later, it went over six million.
Expensive fantasy megaresorts bloomed on the neighbor islands like giant artificial flowers,
swelling the luxury market with ever-swankier accommodations.
The visitor count was at a record 6.7 million in 1990 when the bubble burst in early 1991
with the Gulf War and worldwide recessions. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai. Air-
fare wars sent Americans to Mexico and the Caribbean. Overbuilt with luxury hotels, Hawaii
slashed its room rates, giving middle-class consumers access to high-end digs at affordable
prices—a trend that continues as Hawaii struggles to stay atop the tourism heap.
Hawaii was finally back to record-breaking visitor counts (6.9 million) in 2000. Then
September 11, 2001, sent a blow to Hawaii—tourism dropped abruptly, sending Hawaii's eco-
nomy into a tailspin. But people eventually started traveling again, and in 2003, visitor arrivals
were up to 6.3 million. By 2005, Hawaii's economy was recovering, the number of visitors to
the state shot up to 6.75 million, business was booming in construction, and real-estate sales
were higher than ever.
Just 3 years later, the economic pendulum swung the opposite way. Real estate in Hawaii,
as on the mainland, dropped in value and sales plummeted. Although a record number of
visitors, some nine million, had come to Hawaii in 2007, the economic downturn in 2008 saw
the closure of Aloha Airlines (which had served Hawaii for 61 years before closing) and ATA
Airlines, as well as the shutting down of all operations (both cattle ranch and visitor accom-
modations) of Molokai Ranch, the island's largest employer and landowner.
Today, Waikiki and the rest of the state has recovered remarkably well in the dire straights
of the world wide economy. The visitor industry is on the upswing, while agriculture and mil-
itary spending (two of Hawaii's other key industries) also are up.
ART & ARCHITECTURE
Yes, you can still see re-created thatched-roof huts from ancient Hawaii. However, they won't
be on the street but in Honolulu's Bishop Museum or at the Polynesian Cultural Center. You
also can get a great feel of what life was like in the 19th century for the American missionar-
ies who ventured to this “heathen” land by visiting the Mission Houses Museum. Turn of the
20th century architecture can still be observed in downtown Honolulu.
The art scene in Honolulu is more vibrant than ever, especially with the Hawaii State Art
Museum (housed in the original Royal Hawaiian Hotel, built in 1872, during the time of King
