Published on : Friday, January 5, 2018
Timeshare properties in Hawai‘i continued to demonstrate their importance to the state’s
lodging portfolio in the third quarter of 2017, averaging a 90.1 percent occupancy rate statewide. By comparison, hotel properties averaged an 81.4 percent occupancy rate for the quarter.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) today released the Hawai‘i Timeshare Quarterly Report for the third quarter, showing that timeshare accommodations grew by 725 units to 11,233 units statewide compared to a year earlier. The increase in timeshare accommodations included the openings of the 411-unit Hilton Grand Islander in Waikīkī last March and the 195-unit Westin Nanea Ocean Villas on Maui last April.
Timeshare occupied room nights statewide increased by 4 percent in the third quarter year-over-year. However, with the supply of available timeshare units also increasing by 5.8 percent during the same period, the overall occupancy rate statewide declined slightly by 1.5 percentage points in the third quarter compared to a year earlier.
Owners of Hawai‘i timeshare units accounted for 56.9 percent of occupied room nights in the third quarter, while exchangers (timeshare owners participating in a timeshare exchange program) took up 19.9 percent of the occupied room nights. Transient rental of units to owners and exchangers beyond their allotted timeshare stay, as well as to the general public, represented 15.5 percent of occupied room nights. The remaining balance, 7.7 percent, was used for sales and marketing purposes.
Jennifer Chun, HTA Director of Tourism Research, noted timeshare properties are essential to Hawai‘i’s mix of accommodations offerings. “With so much public dialogue about Hawai‘i lodging focused on hotels and alternative accommodations, the impact of timeshare properties tends to get overlooked. Timeshare visitors consistently fill up resort properties on a year-round basis, their average stay is longer than other visitors, and owners pay more in taxes.
“Hawai‘i is one of the few destinations worldwide that considers timeshare properties to be a traditional accommodation. Timeshare has a major influence on tourism’s overall success and Hawai‘i’s ability to attract repeat visitors who commit to spend their time and money annually in the islands. Moreover, timeshare’s appeal continues to expand beyond visitors from North America. Timeshare usage by visitors from Japan has increased significantly in recent years.
All of this helps to stabilize Hawai‘i’s tourism industry.” HTA’s timeshare report showed that 235,112 visitors stayed at a timeshare resort in the Hawaiian Islands for all or part of their stay during the third quarter, an increase of 7.6 percent year-over-year. Of that total, 182,356 visitors, or 77.6 percent, stayed exclusively at a timeshare resort, with the remaining 52,756 visitors, or 22.4 percent, extending their visit in Hawai‘i with other lodging arrangements.
Altogether, timeshare visitors represented 9.8 percent of total visitors to Hawai‘i in the third quarter. Timeshare visitors’ average length of stay in the Hawaiian Islands during the third quarter was 9.7 days, which was higher than the average length of stay of 8.8 days for all visitors.
Source:- Hawai‘i Tourism
Tags: Global Travel News, Hawaii Tourism, Hotel News