A new survey by the Hawaii Tourism Authority shows four of the state's 10 most popular state parks are on Kauai: Wailua State Park, Haena State Park, Waimea Canyon and the Napali Coast.
The most frequently visited park site is the Pali Lookout on Oahu, also known as Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside.
Also on the list are Diamond Head, Oahu; Makena State Park, Maui; Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, Big Island; Iao Valley State Monument, Maui; and Ka'ena Point State Park, Oahu.
The survey conducted for the authority by OmniTrack Group Inc. covers 55 state parks on all islands. Researchers randomly visited park sites and surveyed visitors between July and October.
About two-thirds of all visitors were from out of state, with 86 percent of those from North America. Only 5 percent of park visitors were Japanese.
Meanwhile, state officials said that the number of Japanese visitors to Hawaii overall has declined, along with a drop in visits from Californians and residents of the eastern United States. Tourists from those three places declined altogether by more than 3 percent from 2006.
The total number of visitors to Hawaii also fell 1.2 percent from 2006 to about 7.4 million people in 2007. The number of days visitors spent in the state dipped by 1.6 percent.
But while fewer tourists came to the state compared with the previous year, they spent $103.2 million more. Total visitor spending in 2007 climbed to $12.2 billion, up 0.9 percent from 2006.
Marriott, Schrager announce details of new hotel chain
WASHINGTON - A new chain of boutique hotels planned by Marriott and upscale hotelier Ian Schrager will be called Edition.
Marriott and Schrager plan to open the first Edition brand hotels around 2010 in nine cities, including Paris, Madrid, Miami, Chicago and two in Los Angeles. A Washington hotel is planned for the 18th Street corridor, but details on the exact location and timetable were not available.
The Bethesda, Md.-based company said more than 100 of the ''lifestyle'' hotels could eventually be built worldwide. The partnership was originally announced in June, but the name for the chain was just announced Jan. 29.
Edition is a new tack for Marriott, a family-run hotel operator known for more traditional brands like Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard or its eponymous Marriott properties. But the company is also trying to update its image to attract younger and affluent travelers, sprucing up lobbies, improving food service and building its technology offerings in rooms.
For Edition, Marriott is teaming up with Schrager, one of the founders of the infamous but defunct Studio 54 nightclub in New York.
The hotels will be relatively small, averaging between 150 and 200 rooms.
