In recent years, we’ve seen quite an influx of Chinese investors coming to Hawaii to acquire prime real estate opportunities. It’s a very similar trend to the wave of Japanese investors that came to Hawaii in the late 80s and 90s. We at Colliers believe that this trend is only just the beginning. There will be a lot more Chinese investors coming over to find real estate opportunities. Our own Mike Hamasu was quoted for Pacific Business News’ article, “’If history plays out like with the Japanese, the Chinese will visit as tourists, get accustomed to what Hawaii is like, [and] start to purchase homes, which I believe has started, fueling even more demand for real estate,’ Mike Hamasu, research and consulting director for Colliers International Hawaii, told Pacific Business News.” We are seeing this come together as more investors are becoming interested in our development sites and different options for their portfolios. Currently Chinese investors are targeting hotels, golf courses, shopping, and development opportunities.
Over the last year, Chinese demand for real estate has increased exponentially and we believe that this wave will continue to grow. This growth is proving to be great for Hawaii’s economy and will continue to stimulate new business, new opportunities, and new deals. We can see that more Chinese will move to Hawaii as they invest more money, time, and projects on the islands. I was also quoted in the same PBN article as Mike Hamasu, “Mark Bratton, a senior vice president with the investment team of Colliers International Hawaii, told PBN that experts at a conference in Hong Kong 18 months ago predicted that the flow of money from Asia to the U.S. would increase every year through 2020. Last year alone, Chinese investors spent at least $5 billion on real estate in the U.S. ‘It should be a pretty strong wave and increasing ever more,’ Bratton said.” We are curious to see how this trend increases and changes our diverse economical landscape in Hawaii. It’s exciting to see how these investments will grow and stimulate new projects, tourism, and diversity on the islands.