It's three weeks from Christmas, and leaders in Hawaiʻi’s hospitality industry are calling the outlook disappointing.
The latest numbers have been mixed at best.
In October, visitor spending was up nearly 7% compared to a year ago, but overall visitors were down by about 3%
There was one bright spot: Visitors from Japan were up 16% in October — the second month in a row of solid growth — and visitor spending from Japan was up as well.
So is this a statistical blip — or are Japanese travelers coming back to Hawaiʻi in force?
Ray Tsuchiyama is a consultant whose work includes clients in Hawaiʻi’s hospitality industry with a particular eye on the Japanese market.
He stopped by The Conversation to talk about whether this trend of moderate growth will continue for Japanese visitors to Hawaiʻi.
Interview highlights
On Japanese tourism in Hawaiʻi
RAY TSUCHIYAMA: Since COVID and the low numbers of Japanese tourism to Hawaiʻi, the state leadership has always looked at next year or next quarter — Japanese tourism coming back. And we thought that August 2025, Obon, the summer festival season, would be a good indicator of Japanese travel. That didn't turn out, but there's been a rise in Japanese tourists in spite of the low yen, in spite of stagnant wages, and in spite of concern about the economy. I think the reasons for this rise is that Japanese, especially repeat visitors to Hawaiʻi, are coming back with their families, and they want to reacquaint themselves and reimmerse themselves in the Hawaiian aloha spirit, back in the culture of Hawaiʻi.
On the yen-dollar gap
TSUCHIYAMA: During the last year, there's been a concerted effort by Japanese tour groups, the big agencies, like JTB, HIS, and others, to really cover this yen-dollar gap, and it's been quite attractive or appealing to Japanese families that don't want to be surprised when they finally pay the bills for their flight and accommodations. And I don't see the dollar-yen rate really going outside of 140 to 160 during the next six months.
On the Japanese visitor market after COVID
TSUCHIYAMA: One of the outcomes, unfortunately, during COVID, spring of 2020, was that many old timers in the Waikīkī hotel and hospitality industry left that sector. Many of them had years and years of Japanese interaction and great customer service. They knew how to really be the top in their game with Japanese travelers. What happened during the last couple of years, with the Japanese not coming in great numbers, is that the hotels and hospitality industry restaurants really dropped Japanese language and Japanese hospitality standards.
On why Japanese travelers come to Hawaiʻi
TSUCHIYAMA: One of the reasons why a traveler from Japan would come to Hawaiʻi is the high level of customer service. And if a traveler goes back to Japan and really promotes customer service and a great value for money, they will pay more for value in Hawaiʻi, as they do in Japan. This will be a great base for promoting more tourism to Hawaiʻi. … I think it should be a blend of our Native Hawaiian host culture, values, and hospitality, that's number one, because they're coming here, not to really reimmerse themselves in Japan, but they're coming to Hawaiʻi, an authentic Hawaiian experience. Having said that, the global standard for customer service is in Japan. Kikubari, Omotenashi, the values, how to interact, and really be proactive about the needs of the customer. And by blending those two, I think Waikīkī could rise in global rankings and customer service, so it could attract global visitor arrivals.
On how the hospitality industry can better cater to Japanese visitors
TSUCHIYAMA: I think that a focus on quality is number one; the first interaction at the front desk in the Japanese language would go a long way. Again dealing with issues that they would not simply escalate it, but try to resolve it at the time and place of problems that arise with Japanese visitors, because Japanese visitors may not say anything, but they will complain later to the tour group leader, to their JAL flight accommodations (Japan Airlines), and so it is very much a highest priority that they teach their staff, the hotel staff, how to interact at the highest level.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 4, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this interview for the web.
