HAWAII - Big Island cruise ship visits to drop, eliminating jobs

the.honoluluadvertiser.com, 20 nov 2007

Cruise ship port-of-calls to the Big Island are expected to drop by nearly a third next year, depriving the isle of hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tourist revenue.
The average passenger spends about $100 per day on land, buying souvenirs, going on tours and eating off the boat.By the end of this year, 469 cruise ship calls are expected to generate upward of $94 million in visitor expenditures, fueling 1,223 jobs, the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism says.

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HAWAII - Building Partnerships with Asia

Hawaii reporter, 1-7-2007

As part of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s efforts to transform the state’s economy from one over dependent on land development to one based on the innovation capacity of Hawai‘i’s residents, Governor Lingle recently completed a 13-day trip to Indonesia and Japan to strengthen Hawai‘i’s links in the Asia-Pacific region and to increase the ability of our residents and businesses to successfully compete in the global marketplace.

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HAWAII - Airline CEO Ornstein makes many see red

Honolulu Advertiser, 21-11-2006

In an industry known for mavericks, Jonathan Ornstein stands out. Since he launched the new interisland airline go! less than six months ago, Ornstein has been sued by his two major competitors, been praised by consumers and received hate mail from rival pilots.

The 49-year-old chief executive officer of Mesa Air Group is brash and outspoken — not always the most admired traits for CEOs operating in Hawai'i. But as long as Ornstein keeps flying people between islands for $39, he is likely to find plenty of support in the state. "He is one of those love-him-or-hate-'em kind of guys," said Scott Hamilton, founder of the aviation consulting firm Leeham Co. in Issaquah, Wash. "John is an extraordinarily controversial individual." As a stockbroker nearly 20 years ago, Ornstein had his license suspended for alleged unauthorized trading. Ornstein says that mistake taught him the value of second chances, and he has made the most of his.

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HAWAII - Tourism industry a good place for conservation

eTN, 13-11-2006

Tourists gobble a sizable portion of Kaua‘i’s resources, but businesses can take steps to reduce the strain on the island environment, industry leaders said at the Greening Kaua‘i’s Visitor Industry conference last week.

For example the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa converts 670 gallons of cooking oil to biodiesel each month, said Doug Sears, general manager. The Sheraton Kaua‘i cut its power bill by investing in a combined heat and power co-generator, energy technology that reduces consumption and saves the resort thousands of dollars each month, said Ed Fiegler, project manager of Starwood Vacation Ownership Pacific’s Princeville property. “There is a lot of business opportunity in doing things differently,” said Ivo Martinac, director of Environmental Sustainability in Tourism at the School of Travel Industry Management of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. “It’s not an obstacle. It’s not something we need to overcome.” But despite long-term financial incentives and the promise of good will, many businesses in the industry are not signing on to green initiatives, leaders said. “One of the myths we’ve got to do away with: It is expensive to be green,” said David Simmons, professor of Tourism, Environment, Society and Design at Lincoln University in New Zealand.

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HAWAII - What's new on Oahu

eTN, 29-10-2006

OAHU – The Island of Oahu, known as the Heart of Hawaii, sets the rhythm of the islands and leads by example with new improvements, changes and additions on an ongoing basis.

Below is a glimpse of what’s new on Oahu: Hotels & Resorts The island of Oahu has fabulous hotels and resorts for people of all ages and budgets. Oahu’s hotels are constantly updating and adding an array of activities and packages that are sure to make any trip to Oahu unforgettable. · The Aqua Waikiki Wave completed a $7 million transformation, which concluded October 1, 2006. The hotel includes 247 spacious guest rooms featuring 1920’s artwork and free wireless Internet. · Aqua Hotels & Resorts recently welcomed the Hawaii Polo Inn and the Island Colony to its family of now 10 properties. The Hawaii Polo Inn will undergo a $2 million renovation and will change its name to Hotel Equus when the renovations are completed in mid-December. · Trump International Hotel and Tower will include 460 luxury hotel-condominium units, four stories of parking and 6,500 square feet of dining and retail space. The 38-story tower will also include a library, wine cellar, lobby car, café, outdoor swimming pool, sun terrace with ocean views, indoor and outdoor dining areas, private fitness center and spa, and ocean views. Construction is set to begin 2007, with completion set for early 2009. · ResortQuest Hawaii has completed a $380,000 room renovation at Aston Honolulu Prince hotel. All 119 guest rooms were redecorated in island inspired décor and have new bedspreads, carpets, drapes, and paintwork.

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CROSS CULTURAL - Cruise line removes ad that angered Hawaiians

Honolulu Advertiser, sept-3-2006

Miami-based Celebrity Cruises will no longer use a controversial advertisement depicting King Kamehameha's statue holding a glass of champagne to promote its cruises to Hawai'i, the company said yesterday.

The ad, which appeared in a recent issue of Travel Weekly, enraged Hawaiian groups and shocked local tourism officials.

"We are terribly sorry that we have offended anyone," said Lynn Martenstein, spokeswoman for Celebrity Cruises, a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We're horrified that we've been insensitive. ... It was never our intention. We have pulled the ad. It will never run again."

It was not clear yesterday if Celebrity's apology would satisfy those who were offended by the ad.

It's good that Celebrity is pulling the ad, but the company's apology should be as public as the ad was, said Ramsey Taum, community outreach director for the University of Hawai'i School of Travel Industry Management and contractor with the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.

"To their credit, if they're going to pull it, then great, but the ultimate apology is going to be the same-size ad that they used in the publication as well as a local publication," he said. Travel Weekly is a trade publication for travel agents.

'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, a group of Hawaiian cultural practitioners, has scheduled a news conference Monday to publicly object to the ad.

"When I saw it, I was appalled to think that any company would have the audacity to use our culture in that fashion and especially our icon, King Kamehameha," said 'Ilio'ulaokalani executive director Wayne Kaho'onei Panoke, who said the ad offended non-Hawaiians as well.

"This has got to stop. Agencies like the Hawai'i Tourism Authority have got to assist us in stopping this kind of disrespect of our culture. ... We will no longer sit back and allow this kind of malice to happen to our culture. ... I know everybody wants business, but are we going to continue to bastardize our culture so that all these other companies can make millions of dollars?"

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HAWAII - Aloha on a tourism high

eTN, 17-9-2006

The 2006 Hawaii Tourism Conference held last week at the magnificent Hawaii Conference Centre in Honolulu attracted a record 500 tourism and hospitality industry professionals from all over Hawaii and mainland USA.

Organized by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the conference attracted a selection of leading local, American and overseas speakers covering topics ranging from Cultural tourism, sports tourism, crisis and recovery management , airline trends, volunteer tourism, business and incentive travel and destination marketing.

The theme of the conference was Aloha, Aku, Aloha Mai (the responsibility of Aloha). President and CEO of The Hawaii Tourism Authority, Rex Johnson, set the tone for the conference when he called on the Hawaii tourism industry for their commitment in making the tourism experience in Hawaii a happy, memorable, unique and welcoming experience.

The keynote speech was delivered by Emmy award tourism TV presenter and journalist Peter Greenberg, who gave an entertaining speech in which he called on travel professionals to treat tourism as an experience rather than just a business transaction.

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle expressed her gratitude to the outstanding contribution of the tourism industry to economic and employment growth in Hawaii and of her own state government's commitment to the tourism industry. She recognized the need to upgrade infrastructure but explained some of the bureaucratic and legal barriers her administration has been forced to cope with and overcome in the development of sustainable enhancements.

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ASIA PACIFIC - Tourism Breaks Records in 2005

PATA COMMUNICATIONS, September 13, 2006


The ‘PATA Annual Statistical Report 2005 Summary & Extracts’ was launched today in Hong Kong, at a PATA Travel Mart 2006 luncheon workshop on Asia Pacific travel and tourism’s state-of-play. The new report by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) brings together in one volume the top-line performance statistics for destinations across the Asia Pacific region for the period 2001 to 2005. Covering both inbound and outbound flows, the report provides an overview of annual travel movements to and within the most dynamic region in the world today – Asia Pacific. During the workshop, PATA Director-SIC Mr John Koldowski outlined the major issues and trends affecting international travel flows to and within the region. International visitor arrivals (IVAs) to Asia Pacific in 2005 numbered nearly 330 million trips, representing region-wide year-on-year growth of 7.6%. Since 2001, IVAs have grown at an average annual rate of 6%. “Calendar year 2005 was a very successful year in terms of IVAs into and within Asia Pacific,” said Mr Koldowski. “In fact, by the end of 2005, a number of international inbound volume records were broken.” The following destinations posted “best-ever’ performances” in 2005:- • Chile and Mexico in the Americas; • Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in South Asia; • China (PRC), Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Korea (ROK) and Macau SAR in Northeast Asia; • Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam in Southeast Asia; and • Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu in the Pacific.

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