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A message from:
George D. Szigeti
President & CEO
Hawaii Tourism Authority
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Aloha mai kakou,
HTA and its marketing partners are diligently continuing with our communication outreach to alleviate travel consumers’ concerns about the effect of Kilauea volcano on the Hawaiian Islands.
A recent highlight was the satellite media tour organized by Hawaii Tourism United States at the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo on June 18. Interviews were conducted of Dr. Ken Hon, volcanologist at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, by 30 broadcast media outlets with national and regional audiences on the subject of Kilauea’s ongoing eruption.
Dr. Hon provided valuable information and answered questions about safety that will help ease the reluctance of travelers to book trips to the Hawaiian Islands, particularly to the island of Hawaii. Following are links to two clips to view.
Hawaii Tourism United States and Hawaii Tourism Japan are aggressively implementing initiatives promoting travel to Hawaii, while also educating travel trade professionals, consumers and media about Kilauea volcano as it relates to the rest of the Hawaiian Islands.
We have been in regular contact with our other global marketing partners and are pleased to report that Kilauea volcano does not appear to be having a negative effect on their efforts to promote Hawaii.
Our communications team is interacting with media on a continuing basis to share information, correct the public record and put the volcano’s impact in its proper perspective. Several excellent stories in influential publications with national reach have been generated recently making the point that the volcano should not dissuade travelers from coming to Hawaii. Following are links to some of the articles.
We know tourism industry partners statewide have also been working hard to communicate with travelers and provide assurances that it is safe to visit our beautiful islands. Your efforts and support are greatly appreciated.
With Warmest Aloha,
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HTA Issues RFPs for Programs Supporting Hawaiian Culture, Natural Resources and Community Events
HTA issued three Request for Proposals offering to provide funding support to qualified programs that will perpetuate Hawaiian culture, preserve natural resources and present community events in 2019. HTA awarded a total of $3.5 million to 124 community-focused programs statewide in 2018.
Interested applicants are encouraged to review and download the RFPs from HTA’s website for three programs – Kukulu Ola, Aloha Aina and Community Enrichment – each of which are designed to help improve Hawaii’s quality of life for residents while also enhancing the visitor experience.
The deadline for applicants to submit proposals to HTA seeking funding support from any of the three program categories is Friday, August 3, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. HST.
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HTA is supporting community-oriented programs, festivals and special events promoting culture, education, health and wellness, nature, agriculture, sports, technology and “voluntourism” for the enjoyment of residents and visitors.
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HTA is seeking programs that enhance, strengthen and help to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture by supporting cultural practitioners, craftsmen, musicians and artists.
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HTA is supporting programs that help preserve and enhance the quality of Hawaii’s treasured natural resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
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HTA Launches Newly Designed B2B Website
The mobile-friendly website has been reorganized to better provide essential information to travel industry professionals, such as market research, Requests for Proposals, communication activities, community programs supported by HTA, and special alerts.
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Register for the Global Tourism Summit
Early-bird registration offering flexible discounted rates is now available for the 2018 Global Tourism Summit, being presented by HTA, Oct. 1-3, in Honolulu.
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Pele, Goddess of the Volcano
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Pele is a goddess with many names describing her different attributes: the one who devours land, the one who shapes the sacred ground, and the redness of fire, among these.
She has resided on the island of Hawaii for centuries, appearing as molten earth, the epitome of creation in motion. And since the beginning of May, she has shown herself on the island with extra vigor.
Like the first Polynesian voyagers who arrived in the Hawaiian Islands approximately 2,000 years ago, Pele is said to have come from the ancestral South Pacific in search of a place in which she could call home. Making her way across the island chain, she finally found Kilauea, where she has resided ever since.
Mankind’s ever-growing scientific understanding of Hawaii’s volcanoes has validated and uncovered many of the same observations that Hawaiians have tracked and passed down generationally through moolelo – Hawaiian oral traditions and history. The creation of geographic and geologic features across Hawaii – many of these volcanic in origin – are depicted and, more importantly, recorded in the moolelo of Pele. These moolelo speak of interactions with family members who followed her to her new home; epic battles; swamps in Kauai’s extinct volcanic craters attributed to Pele’s angry sister of the sea extinguishing of her fires; Kohelepelepe, known today as Koko Head tuff cone on Oahu and the remnant of Pele fleeing a would-be lover’s courtship; and Poliahu covering Maunakea with snow and forever putting out the mountain’s volcanic fires.
As our hearts go out to the people of Puna experiencing the devastating loss of their homes and disruption of their daily lives due to Kilauea volcano’s current East Rift Zone eruption, we also remember that we share these islands with forces of nature – ancestral forces that presided here long before people, and forces that will be here long after humans are gone. Hence, we hold a reverence for the one affectionately called Pele, and greet these volcanic eruptions and lava flows not as a disaster, but as a relative engaging with her home.
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Although King Kalakaua is often credited with the revival of the hula, one of his royal predecessors also played a large role in the dance’s legalization and resurrection in Hawaii.
Prince Lot Kapuaiwa was born in 1830. His siblings included Liholiho – who served as King Kamehameha IV – and Princess Kamamalu. Upon Liholiho’s death, Lot ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kamehameha V from 1863 to 1872 and a new constitution was enacted. Laws banning the practice of traditional medicine and religion were repealed – moves that set the stage for hula’s return to the contemporary consciousness.
Today, Lot is honored for his contributions to the art form at Hawaii’s largest non-competitive hula event, the annual Prince Lot Hula Festival. The festival, now in its 41st year and set for July 21 and 22, will again celebrate hula on the grounds of Iolani Palace in Honolulu.
Support for signature Native Hawaiian events such as the Prince Lot Hula Festival is a key element of HTA’s efforts to perpetuate Hawaiian culture while providing memorable experiences for residents and visitors. Admission to the festival is free. Visit
www.moanaluagardensfoundation.org for more information.
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Keiki Hula Festival Honors Hawaii’s Last Queen
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There is perhaps no truer expression of aloha for Hawaii and Hawaiian culture than the joyful dances of our children. From July 19 to 21, the public is invited to witness this expression for themselves at Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu during the 43rd annual Queen Liliuokalani Keiki Hula Competition.
The first competition, which happened in 1976, was a one-day event held in a local park. Participating keiki (children) shared their achievements in hula while learning about Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last queen. Six hula groups took the stage that first year. The event has since grown into a three-day contest featuring keiki solo and group performances of ancient and modern hula, and competition for the coveted titles of Miss Keiki Hula and Master Keiki Hula. Last year’s competition featured 22 halau hula (hula schools).
HTA is proud to support the Kalihi-Palama Culture and Arts Society’s Queen Liliuokalani Keiki Hula Competition through its Kukulu Ola: Living Hawaiian Culture Program. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
www.keikihula.org.
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Oahu
June 30
July 19-21
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Maui Nui
June 29-30
July 14-22
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Island of Hawaii
June 24-July 25
Aug. 30-Sept. 3
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Sharing the Message, “Hawaii is Open for Business,” at IPW in Denver
HTA and representatives from its Global Marketing Team and the Island Chapters participated in the U.S. Travel Association’s 2018 IPW travel trade show, held in Denver, Colorado, from May 21 to 23. IPW is the leading international inbound travel trade show and national showcase for U.S. travel exhibitors.
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The team conducted more than 175 appointments with international and domestic travel trade buyers at IPW, educating them on the destination and promoting travel to the Hawaiian Islands. In addition, more than 44 appointments were held with targeted media reaching key markets around the world.
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Throughout the conference, the team shared the message with attendees that Hawaii is open for business despite Kilauea volcano’s recent escalation of eruptive activity on Hawaii Island and impact of spring floods on Kauai’s north shore. Hawaii maps and official resources were also offered to IPW attendees.
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Second Annual Experience Aloha Business Exchange
Produced by HTA’s Global MCI team, the second annual Experience Aloha Business Exchange (EABE) was held at the Hawaii Convention Center from June 8 to 14. EABE is Hawaii’s premier meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) industry trade event, attracting qualified MCI decision makers to Hawaii.
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HTA’s Global Marketing Team hosted incentive travel organizers and corporate meeting planners at the conference, including multilevel and direct selling organizations. Attending were 79 hosted buyers from the U.S. mainland, Japan, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Meet Hawaii gifted each buyer with a koa legacy tree, which was planted in their honor on the island of Hawaii through the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.
Attendees met with 47 Hawaii partners, including MCI representatives from various hotels, airlines, activities and attractions, destination management companies, event planning companies, transportation operators and amenity businesses. MCI site tours were held on Oahu, the island of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai.
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GoHawaii.com Consumer Website Incorporates Five Additional Languages
HTA recently launched its newly redesigned
GoHawaii.com consumer website for travelers interested in the Hawaiian Islands with five additional languages: Korean, Chinese, German, French and Spanish. The English and Japanese versions of the website debuted in 2017.
The additional language sites were strategically developed to meet market needs and allow HTA and its Global Marketing Team to better target and inspire travelers from around the world. The user-friendly design and content on the websites present a richer and more engaging storytelling experience about the history and cultural heritage of Hawaii, and highlight the unmatched attributes of the Hawaiian Islands.
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There are a couple of ways to check out the new websites. On the main header of
GoHawaii.com, click on the drop-down Languages menu to access each of the sites. Or, visit the following direct links:
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Hawaii Tourism Japan Launches Campaigns to Boost Island of Hawaii Demand
On June 2, Hawaii Tourism Japan (HTJ) launched two campaigns designed to boost future bookings to the island of Hawaii and mitigate any impacts resulting from the current Kilauea volcano eruption in lower Puna.
The
Support Hawaii Island/Visit Hawaii Island Campaign encourages travel to the island, reminding visitors that Hawaii is a safe destination. Of the 4,100 consumer responses received in the campaign’s first 10 days, more than 1,400 respondents indicated their intention to visit the island of Hawaii within the next six months. Nearly 2,500 respondents said they planned to visit Hawaii Island for a three-day period, with roughly a third of these indicating their interest in staying more than six nights.
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The campaign launched at Aloha Tokyo, a very popular Hawaii festival in Japan, and will continue to be promoted at upcoming summer consumer activations, including Hiroshima Hawaii Festa, Hankyu Osaka, Hawaii Expo in Sapporo and more. HTJ will also initiate various co-op programs with industry partners to stimulate future bookings.
In addition, HTJ assisted with Support for Japan, the Japan-Hawaii Legislators Friendship Association’s (JHLFA) Japan Trip, which included a diplomatic exchange and interaction between Hawaii State legislators, Hawaii Chamber of Commerce representatives and other diplomats, including Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.
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The event offered HTJ an significant opportunity to inform key Hawaii and Japan diplomats about HTJ’s initiatives, as well as provide accurate information about Hawaii Island’s current eruption and reinforce the safety of travel to the Hawaiian Islands.
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Raising Awareness of Japan-Hawaii Ties
As part of its continuing efforts to increase awareness and knowledge about Japan’s ties with Hawaii and its history, HTJ offers educational opportunities to the public at major consumer events through its Aloha Program initiatives.
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In May, multiple seminars and webinars showcasing the history of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii were held for Aloha Program specialists. At JST Nagoya Hawaii Festival, a three-day festival in May with more than 300,000 attendees, HTJ conducted two seminars for 42 participants. In addition, HTJ collaborated with the Nisei Veterans Legacy Center, hosting a 10-day Japanese immigrant exhibit viewed by more than 200,000.
The opportunities were well received, with attendees expressing desire to further expand their knowledge of the subjects through the Aloha Program.
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GTM West Travel Trade Show in Las Vegas
Travel Weekly’s GTM West, also known as Global Travel Marketplace West, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from May 15 to 18. The Hawaii Tourism United States (HTUSA) team held 50 one-on-one appointments with travel advisors at the event to promote visits to the Hawaiian Islands. The networking events were attended by 104 pre-qualified agents who each produced at least $750,000 in annual sales. On the conference’s final day, HTUSA sponsored a morning breakfast and hour-long destination presentation, which attracted 70 advisors. HTUSA was joined at GTM West by 12 Hawaii suppliers.
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Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawaii
In May, HTUSA’s public relations team coordinated programming logistics and media outreach surrounding the opening week of the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) new exhibit, “Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawaii.”
Programming included a media preview attended by more than 50 top-tier media, an exclusive Patron’s Preview event for celebrities and industry VIPs, an MTA Getaway Day at Grand Central Station, and a Lei Day Celebration with Hawaiian Airlines at John F. Kennedy International Airport and JetBlue Headquarters.
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In addition to promoting NYBG’s exhibit, events showcased Hawaii’s rich cultural traditions through hula performances with E Hula Mai Dance Academy and kapa pounding with Micah Kamohoalii.
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Hawaii Tourism Canada Attends Travel Professionals International Summits in Western Canada
Hawaii Tourism Canada (HTCAN) recently promoted the Hawaiian Islands at Travel Professionals International’s regional summits attended by more than 80 top-performing, home-based travel consultants from across Western Canada. The HTCAN team engaged with consultants supported by travel agency network Virtuoso at events in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
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Top Canadian Magazine Features Molokai
Following its participation on a press trip exploring the islands of Molokai and Maui, Canadian quarterly lifestyle magazine
NUVO recently published a feature spotlighting Molokai. The article offered a great showcase for the island, highlighting Molokai’s traditions, culture and people in its editorial.
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Aloha Apprentice Campaign
Hawaii Tourism Oceania (HTO), in partnership with Airtasker, a community marketplace for people and businesses looking to outsource tasks online, recently launched a consumer campaign with a mission of celebrating Hawaiian culture and generating demand for travel to Hawaii.
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HTO posted a job advertisement on Airtasker for an “Aloha Apprentice,” offering one person an opportunity to visit Hawaii and learn from kupuna about how to share the aloha spirit with Australians. To promote the opportunity, HTO executed a multichannel marketing campaign encompassing digital, public relations, social media and broadcast initiatives. The winning applicant, Jamie Scroop, returned home from her visit to Hawaii a newly amazing ambassador of aloha.
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PR efforts on broadcast and online outlets in May promoting the campaign reached more than 2.4 million people in Australia. The campaign received 840 applications for selection as the apprentice, 3.6 million social media impressions, and 6,335 click-throughs to the
GoHawaii.com/au website in May alone.
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Island Chapters Month of Lei Tour
During the second week of May, HTO collaborated with representatives from the Island Chapters of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the island of Hawaii to conduct in-depth destination training at travel-trade and media events in Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney and Brisbane, Australia.
The Auckland visit included destination training for approximately 130 travel agents, as well as media opportunities, including morning television segments featuring the Hawaiian Islands.
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HTO partnered with Excite Holidays on a co-op marketing campaign and travel agent training events in Sydney and Brisbane. At each event, representatives from the Island Chapters conducted presentations for 80 top-selling Hawaii agents and networked during breakfast.
Also in Sydney, HTO organized a “An Afternoon in Hawaii” lunch for travel agents where each of the Island Chapters presented detailed 20-minute updates on their island. In addition, the team met with a group of Australia’s top travel-trade media at an evening networking event. The opportunity proved timely as several media in attendance were especially interested in receiving an update on Hawaii Island’s Kilauea eruption.
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Eco-Tourism and Edu-Tourism Agent FAM Tour with Asiana Airlines
From May 11 to 17, Hawaii Tourism Korea (HTK) partnered with Asiana Airlines for a successful travel agent familiarization trip themed “Discover Hawaii's Roots,” which focused on edu-tourism and eco-tourism opportunities.
The FAM’s 11 participants included staff from HTK, representatives of Asiana Airlines, and travel agents representing Hana Tour, Mode Tour, YB Tour, Very Good Tour, Jau Tour, Online Tour, Tour 2000, KRT and Lotte Tour. The group visited Oahu and Maui to learn more about each island’s unique environment and gain a better understanding of Hawaii and its rich cultural and historical heritage.
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HTK’s co-op with Asiana Airlines also included a sales promotion for travel agents attending the FAM, requiring each to launch new edu-tourism and eco-tourism packages and extensively promote these on their media channels.
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Oahu Food Favorites Featured on tvN's
Street Food Fighter
Series
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In May, HTK developed and executed a co-op project with South Korea’s leading cable TV network tvN inviting the network’s newly launched reality TV series
Street Food Fighter to visit Oahu for filming. The series explores various street foods from around the world and features Korean celebrity chef Jongwon Baek.
The premise of the Hawaii episode, which was filmed May 6 to 9 on Oahu, was introducing viewers to local-favorite island restaurants many travelers are unaware of. HTK arranged for the series’ team to sample local favorite foods, including garlic shrimp, malasadas and Spam musubi at a handful of Hawaii’s most popular food spots. The 50-minute Hawaii episode, which aired on May 21, ultimately featured 10 Oahu dishes.
HTK also executed an online consumer sweepstakes encouraging social media users to follow its social channels and watch the Hawaii episode. The sweepstakes campaign ran for the full week leading up to the episode’s debut air date. Following the broadcast, HTK posted popular Hawaii dessert items not featured on the episode on its social media channels.
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Hawaii Tourism China Debuts Island Styles of Seasons Campaign
On May 19, Hawaii Tourism China (HTC) launched Island Styles of Seasons, a photography-sharing and promotional-travel product campaign, in Guangzhou. The campaign was an HTC partnership with Canon – one of the world’s leading providers of digital imaging solutions – and GZL, one of the largest outbound travel agencies in Southern China.
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The initiative highlighted the importance of “seizing the moment” through photography and showcased Hawaii's fashion and healthy lifestyle, both of which appeal to travelers from China.
The campaign, which was also supported by Asiana Airlines and sunglasses manufacturer Maui Jim, reached more than a million people, resulting in the immediate booking of 30 reservations for travel to Hawaii in July.
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Joint Promotion with Utour, Spring Tour and JinJiang Travel
HTC collaborated with China Eastern Airlines, Utour, Spring Tour and JinJiang Travel to launch its “Happy, Healthy, Hawaii” campaign at the Shanghai World Travel Fair on May 25 and 26. Twelve Hawaii-exclusive products were promoted at the travel fair, which attracted more than 60,000 attendees and garnered $330,000 in revenue from Hawaii packages sold during the exhibition.
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Utour, Spring Tour and JinJiang Travel, Shanghai’s leading outbound travel agencies, operated the exhibition’s largest booth. At its own booths, HTC featured Hawaii images and hula performances showcasing the Hawaiian Islands and Hawaiian culture.
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Litz USA and Hawaii Tourism Hong Kong Education Fair
The Litz USA and Hawaii Tourism Hong Kong (HTHK) Education Fair was recently held at the Cordis Hong Kong hotel with more than 400 students and parents in attendance. Attendees received information about, and introductions to, four Hawaii colleges and schools: Kapiolani Community College, Hawaii Pacific University, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Iolani School. HTHK was an event supporter, providing guests with Hawaii travel guide books, maps and travel adaptors in their amenity bags.
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HTHK Participates in Travel Parade Seminar
On May 12 and 14, HTHK participated in the Travel Parade consumer seminar, organized by leading travel agency Travel Expert. At the seminar, HTHK shared information on Hawaii itineraries geared toward families visiting the Islands.
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In addition, renowned travel journalist Chris Chan shared fond memories of his and his son’s experiences in Hawaii. More than 100 attendees participated in the event.
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Nestle Taiwan Sweepstakes Offers Chance to Win a Trip to Hawaii
Hawaii Tourism Taiwan (HTT) partnered with Nestle Taiwan on a campaign coinciding with the recent release of
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in theaters. As part of the campaign, Nestle Taiwan launched new packaging for five of its cereals, along with a consumer sweepstakes that kicked off on May 11. To enter the sweepstakes, consumers are required to visit the event website and enter a code found inside their cereal box.
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HTT supported the promotion by coordinating the sweepstakes’ grand prize: a free trip to Hawaii for four people, including Waikiki accommodations and a tour of sites where
Jurassic World was filmed at Oahu’s Kualoa Ranch. The promotion is slated to run through July 31.
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Hawaii Travel Talk in Malaysia
Hawaii Tourism Southeast Asia (HTSEA) was invited by Mind Space, an innovative community center in Malaysia, to participate in Travel Talk, a travel industry speaking engagement in collaboration with Horizon Holidays on May 22. HTSEA shared insightful information about the Hawaiian Islands with over 50 attendees. Hawaiian Airlines provided an update on international and domestic air access. The group also enjoyed lively hula performances by a halau.
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Pre-Screening of
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Hawaii Tourism Europe (HTE) partnered with Universal Studios to host a pre-screening of its new
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom movie for key product managers and media in market. The screening offered guests an opportunity to network with the HTE team and view the film on the day before its official release date. Attendees provided positive feedback on the event and shared their experiences on various social media channels.
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Meet Hawaii Participates in Largest IMEX Trade Show To Date
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Showcasing more than 3,500 exhibitors representing over 150 countries, IMEX Frankfurt 2018 ended its May 21 to 23 run as the largest edition of the incentive travel meetings and events trade show to date with 40 new destinations exhibiting. The Meet Hawaii team was one of the show’s exhibitors, conducting three destination presentations and 39 scheduled appointments.
The team also participated in networking
events, including the International Congress and Convention Association Night (Kenes, IBRO, EITI), another evening event, and four media meetings with journalists, which combined generated 173 new MICE meetings contacts for Hawaii.
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Keep in touch with HTA via social media:
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HTA recognizes the use of the 'okina ['] or glottal stop, one of the eight consonants of the (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō [ō] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai'i such as Lāna'i). However, HTA respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses. Due to technological limitations, this current communication
may not include all Hawaiian diacritical markings.
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