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Posted: Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 4:37 AM HST

Maui, Big Island hotel occupancy sinks, Oahu holds steady

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ Hotel occupancy rates plunged on the Neighbor Islands in July as fewer visitors came to the state. A report by the consulting firm Hospitality Advisors says occupancy at Maui hotels sank 12.5 percentage points from the same month last year to an average 67.8 percent. The situation was worse on the Big Island, where occupancy plummeted 16.6 percentage points to 58.6 percent. Occupancy held steady on Oahu. A 14.1 percent drop in visitor arrivals contributed to the declines. The state's tourism industry has been reeling from the collapse of Aloha Airlines and ATA, which together accounted for 15 percent of the passenger seats between Hawaii and the mainland. Rising fuel costs and more expensive plane tickets have also deterred travelers. (Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved)