Why You Should Book Your Clients' Summer Trip to Hawaii Now

In what has been one of the worst winters in American history, its safe to say many travelers are longing to trade in their shovels for Mai Tais on the beach.

But instead of allowing your clients to daydream about their summer vacation to the Aloha State, you should be booking it now.

“Summer travel is a busy time, so booking now (after the holidays) is a good rule of thumb,” says Ryan Mielke of Regency Travel in Fort Lauderdale. “That way you don’t have to worry about pinching pennies around the holidays, and if you’re unfortunate enough to be stuck in the cold and snow, you’ll have something to look forward to in the summer.”

And many clients seems to be following suit as several operators who specialize in Hawaii recently told Travel Agent that booking patterns are beginning to return to the pre-2009 days. The tour operators Travel Agent spoke to recently, including Classic Vacations and Pleasant Holidays, told us clients have been booking their Hawaii vacations about five to nine months out since the end of 2014. 

But this may not be the case for first-time travelers. Many savvy Hawaii travelers are now aware that summer travel to the Aloha State is Hawaii's busiest time of the year since it specializes in the multigenerational market. 

In just about every other warm weather destination, especially those destinations located in the hurricane belt, valued hotel rates and airlift is not hard to find. But this does not include Hawaii. 

A lot of clients tend to make the mistake of lumping Hawaii in with other warm weather hot spots like the Caribbean and Mexicobut value in the summer is not as easy to find in Hawaii as it is in the Caribbean and Mexico. Unless you book now.

“Many people think summertime in the northern hemisphere means that it is low season in all tropical areas, with lower rates and higher availability,” says Caroline Bracewell of Easy Escapes Travel in Atlanta. “This is true for some areas, though not all.”

So what is the best way to convince your clients that booking a Hawaii vacation now is the best investment?

“What I find helps a lot in such situations is travel insurance offered by the wholesalers such as Classic, Travel Impressions and others,” says Andrey Zakharenko of Always Travel in San Francisco, CA. “Knowing all of the features, benefits of the insurance is a must. Most will lock in the price and won’t require final payment until a couple of months before arrival."

Visit www.gohawaii.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all your latest Hawaii news. Follow Travel Agent's Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike.