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Message from George D. Szigeti
President & CEO
Hawaii Tourism Authority
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Aloha kakou,
Happy New Year and Kung Hee Fat Choy! I hope your 2017 is off to a great start, and wish all of you and your families much happiness and prosperity this year.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority team hit the ground running in the first week of 2017, capitalizing on our yearlong partnership with the Los Angeles Clippers by hosting a Hawaii Night promotion at a sold-out Staples Center on January 4.
Hawaii's Aloha Spirit filled the arena as basketball fans in one of our most important markets enjoyed fresh flower lei, Clippers Aloha caps, a special Hawaii-inspired food menu, and beautiful Hawaiian music from Uncle Willie K.
It was an ideal way to highlight our marketing partnership to Clippers Nation, and get the team and its fans excited about coming to Hawaii for training camp and two pre-season games this fall.
Hawaii was also front and center on The Golf Channel this month as the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions opened their 2017 seasons with the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua on Maui, the Sony Open in Hawaii on Oahu, and the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on the island of Hawaii.
Sports continue to be an integral part of our marketing efforts. This year, we'll be supporting 31 events across Hawaii that will showcase the culture and natural beauty of our islands to audiences around the world.
Also, next week HTA will release its visitor statistics for December and all of 2016, which will confirm that last year was our tourism industry’s best ever for visitor arrivals, visitor spending and generated tax revenue.
This success is the direct result of the tourism industry working together to provide an unmatched experience for visitors that distinguishes Hawaii from all other destinations. Congratulations on a fantastic year!
In closing, I'd like to extend my sincere mahalo to all of tourism's stakeholders for your continued support of Hawaii's leading industry.
With Warmest Aloha,
George D. Szigeti
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Hookuaaina: Connection to Our Land
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Hawaii Tourism Authority is proud to support Hookuaaina, a nonprofit nestled in the community of Maunawili, neighboring the Windward Oahu town of Kailua.
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Hookuaaina is a manifestation of Dean and Michele Wilhelm’s vision to create a gathering place for people in the community to connect with and care for the aina (land), perpetuate Hawaiian culture through the cultivation and preparation of traditional foods, and establish a place ultimately bringing healing to people, especially at-risk youth.
HTA supports programs like Hookuaaina to perpetuate Hawaiian culture as a key differentiator for our destination, to strengthen the relationship between the Hawaiian community and the visitor industry, and to give back to the communities that make Hawaii so special.
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HTA and L.A. Clippers Hawaii Night
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The Hawaii Tourism Authority and
Los Angeles Clippers
collaborated on a special
Hawaii Night
promotion on January 4 at the
Staples Center
in Los Angeles for the pro basketball team’s matchup against the
Memphis Grizzlies
.
Link to the Hawaii Night sizzle reel:
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The Hawaiian Islands were front and center at the Staples Center that evening, with the first 10,000 fans in attendance receiving fresh flower lei or special Clippers Aloha caps; the Hoop Troop, Clippers Spirit and Chuck the Condor sporting Hilo Hattie aloha shirts; and television and in-game commentators also wearing floral lei.
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Hawaii Night promotions were set up before and during the game, highlighted by a pre-game and halftime concert by Hawaii musician Willie K. One lucky fan even took home a Downing Hawaii surfboard after winning HTA’s Shoot or Pass contest.
The Hawaii Dream Sweepstakes – a partnership with Pleasant Holidays offering a trip for two to Oahu, including hotel accommodations, airline travel, and car rental – was promoted during the game. Three additional trip giveaways to Kauai, Maui and the island of Hawaii are set for the remainder of the Clippers 2016-17 regular season.
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The Hawaii Night game was broadcast on TV by Prime Sports Network and on AM 570 LA Sports radio. HTA’s comprehensive official marketing partnership with the Clippers to showcase Hawaii was launched on December 4 and will continue throughout the team’s regular season, combining broadcast and online exposure with in-game promotions at the Staples Center.
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Hawaiian Airlines Collaborates with
Hawaii Tourism Japan to Promote
New Haneda-Kona Flight
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Hawaii Tourism Japan initiated several activities in December to promote Hawaiian Airlines’ new Haneda-Kona direct flight, which launched service on Dec. 21.
An online promotional video for the route, launched on the day of the inaugural flight, has accumulated more than 750,000 views. Sales blitzes, which included media interviews and an inaugural flight ceremony, were conducted with the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, attracting representatives from 24 media.
Promotional video of the campaign:
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In addition, 13 agents from Japan’s Sapporo, Kanto and Kansai regions participated in a Hawaiian Airlines’ familiarization trip to Oahu, Kauai and the island of Hawaii.
Link to HTJ’s Kona promotional video with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvHWX6fVoWs
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Holiday Luncheon with Japanese Wholesalers
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Hawaii Tourism Japan, the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau and the Kauai Visitors Bureau celebrated the support of more than 60 Japan wholesaler agents at a holiday season luncheon at Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar in Waikiki.
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Invited attendees included executives, familiarization trip attendees, marketing and planning department staff, and MCI representatives of the Japanese wholesalers.
Staff members from HTJ and the Island Chapters thanked wholesalers at the luncheon for their support in 2016 and promised continuing prosperous partnerships in 2017.
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Hawaii Tourism Japan continued its active promotion of the Yukyu Hawaii Campaign in December 2016.
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Implementation of out-of-home advertisements on eight major Japan Railways lines continued the week of December 26 through January 1, reaching approximately 13.3 million customers.
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On December 20, HTJ also launched a new social media campaign called Zekkei Yukyu Hawaii, calling for entries showing awe-inspiring Hawaii scenery. The campaign acquired more than 50 media exposures and will run through the end of March.
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HTJ further promoted the Yukyu Campaign at Love Hawaii, an event held in Nagoya. More than 120 female event participants were able to attend seminars about Hawaii and a live hula performance by Miss Hawaii 2016 Alison Chu.
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Aloha Program Continues Expanding in Japan in 2016
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Hawaii Tourism Japan’s Hawaii specialist program, Aloha Program, continued its expansion throughout 2016.
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As of December, there were 18,762 general members – 11,766 of them certified as Hawaii specialists – and 24 satellite offices established throughout Japan. The newest satellite offices are JTB Kansai Lalaport EXPOCITY and H.I.S. Nagoya Sakae Honten.
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Hawaii Tourism China to Promote Hawaii as a Luxury Destination
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Working to promote Hawaii as a luxury destination for high-end Chinese travelers, Hawaii Tourism China connected with a number of Hawaiian Islands partners to launch an integrated My Luxury Wish List social media campaign.
The social media campaign, which comprises an online digital campaign and offline events, showcases the Hawaiian Islands’ most luxurious and diverse spots via a comprehensive video. Campaign participants are invited to select and generate their own wish list of luxury spots.
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The digital campaign was carried out via the WeChat accounts of Shanghai K11 Art Mall, a top-tier art and business shopping mall in mainland China, and BMW Car magazine.
HTC also organized Hawaii VR Experience events to reach out to Shanghai K11 Art Mall’s weekend crowd. Consumers were invited to experience the My Luxury Wish List campaign and VR devices. An electronic elevator screen was utilized to increase the event's influence. HTC attracted more than 8,000 participants and 650,000 in circulations for the campaign.
HTC also worked with Silk Road magazine and Lonely Planet to release two advertisements promoting Hawaii as a luxury destination.
Published monthly, Silk Road is targeted toward educated and high-income readers and has a circulation of more than 228,000. Lonely Planet, which focuses on international travel information and travel tips, holds a leading position among China’s travel media. Each issue is read, on average, by 840,000 readers.
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Go Hawaii Online Campaign Website Launched in Hong Kong
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Hawaii Tourism Hong Kong partnered with Hutchgo.com to roll out its first online campaign website, Go Hawaii. Structured as a gaming and information platform, Go Hawaii is a first-of-its-kind site tailor-made for the Hong Kong market. Among its features are opportunities to win nine prizes, including two complimentary United Airlines round trip tickets to Hawaii, eight HK$1,000 Hawaii travel vouchers from Hutchgo.com, and discount vouchers from Hertz Car Rental. More than 20 Hawaii partners are also featured on the website.
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Itineraries on the Go Hawaii campaign site feature adventure, romance and family-orientated activities designed to showcase Hawaii’s diverse offerings as a destination. Click this link to visit the gaming portion of the campaign: goo.gl/sBKIUw.
Hong Kong celebrities and passionate Hawaii fans Tim Wong of the band Dear Jane, Rabeea Yeung and Jocelyn Luko also share their positive Hawaii experiences on the campaign website and its social media channels.
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Hawaii Aloha Massive Out-of-Home Mass Transit Railway Advertising Campaign Launched in Hong Kong
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For two weeks in December and January, Hawaii Tourism Hong Kong partnered with travel package specialist Travel Expert to roll out a massive
Out-of-Home Metro
video advertising campaign.
From December 26 through January 8, 56 pairs of 10-second Hawaii Aloha videos were advertised at Hong Kong’s top 10 highest-trafficked Metro stations, reaching a total audience of 14 million.
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2016 Aloha Friends Night in Seoul
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In December, Hawaii Tourism Korea organized
2016 Aloha Friends Night
, a networking event in Seoul coinciding with a visit by Hawaii Tourism Authority Chief Operating Officer Randy Baldemor.
The event was attended by key Korea-based influencers who had contributed to HTK's various promotional campaigns in 2016. Invitees included travel writers, TV personalities and social influencers, as well as CEOs who had attended HTA's 2016 Tourism Conference Executive Summit in Hawaii.
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Hawaii Tourism Oceania Kicks Off
Experience Aloha Consumer Campaign
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In November, Hawaii Tourism Oceania launched the Experience Aloha consumer campaign, pairing Australian influencers with Hawaii residents to immerse them in the Aloha Spirit.
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The campaign utilized key digital channels, including email marketing, social media, paid social and video pre-rolls, and directed viewers to a microsite featuring Hawaii blog articles, information and photos. The first phase of the Experience Aloha consumer campaign, which ran from November 11 through December 5, generated positive results and engagement on social media. The second phase kicked off on January 15 and will run through January 31.
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Supermodel Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty Films in Hawaii
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Hawaii Tourism Oceania partnered with the Island Visitor Bureau Chapters to bring Imagination Television’s Rachel's Tour of Beauty series to the Islands in December.
The popular show, which features New Zealand-based supermodel Rachel Hunter, showcases the nature, inner beauty, people and cultures of exotic locales around the world. On its Hawaii visit, the Rachel's Tour of Beauty production crew filmed at several businesses and attractions on Maui, Oahu and the island of Hawaii.
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Blogger FAM for Taiwan Bloggers Visits Oahu, Maui and Kauai
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Hawaii Tourism Taiwan hosted a 10-day Blogger FAM, from November 27 to December 6, introducing five selected bloggers to the sights and experiences of Oahu, Maui and Kauai. The bloggers invited on the familiarization trip had collectively amassed more than 740,000 fans on Facebook.
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After receiving many inquiries regarding Hawaii self-driving vacations at the most recent Taipei Tourism Exposition it had participated in, HTT made special arrangements for three bloggers to drive convertibles during their Oahu stay. While visiting Oahu, each blogger posted at least two Facebook posts daily, often including live videos. They continued to post even more detailed descriptions of their Hawaii trips on their blogs after returning home.
The media value gathered from the bloggers’ total Facebook posts, blog posts and live video feeds was estimated at US$350,000. (NOTE: This estimated value does not include the travel sharing seminar and participation in the Share the Aloha campaign in 2017.)
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Moana Screening in Malaysia hosted for HTSEA Partners
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Hawaii Tourism Southeast Asia friends, partners and associates from Malaysia travel agencies, trade partners, airlines and media were treated to a premiere screening of the Disney animated film
Moana
on December 1 at GSC Pavilion KL Golden Screen Cinemas in Kuala Lumpur.
Prior to the screening, which was attended by more than 230 partners, HTSEA gave a brief presentation introducing the audience to its team, its services and the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. The event generated more than $16,000 in PR value.
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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 [ā] 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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