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A message from:
George D. Szigeti
President & CEO
Hawaii Tourism Authority
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With October coming to a close, my tenure as President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority is also ending.
I joined HTA in May 2015 and have enjoyed the experience of helping HTA to fulfill its mission these past three-and-a-half years. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the interests of Hawaii’s tourism industry and the residents who rely on its success.
I am proud of the work HTA has accomplished since coming on board, and how HTA has contributed to the prosperity of our state’s largest industry and leading provider of jobs.
I am grateful to HTA’s board of directors for this wonderful opportunity to lead HTA and the support they have provided to me and the staff. HTA’s board members serve as volunteers and give of their time extensively to help make tourism better for our residents, communities and visitors.
I appreciate all of the support, friendship and aloha that has been offered to me by industry partners and stakeholders statewide.
HTA’s hardworking staff is fully committed to helping tourism realize a brighter future. They have earned and deserve everyone’s aloha for the work they do so others may benefit. I will miss working with them.
My successor will soon be named and I encourage everyone with a stake in tourism to give this person their full support at all times. Our industry is stronger when we collaborate and go forward as one team.
Mahalo and a hui hou!
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Mahalo for a Great Global Tourism Summit!
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The Global Tourism Summit, October 1-3, was a great success. Mahalo to all those who participated and shared their input on the future direction of tourism, both for Hawaii and worldwide.
The Summit had 2,200 registrants representing 32 nations and was supported by 27 sponsors and 38 exhibitors. The four keynote speakers were superb and the quality of sessions impressive, addressing key issues important to the community, environment, culture, accommodations, technology and marketing.
The networking events, especially the Aloha Reception, were very well received. The feedback from participants has been very positive. Mahalo!
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Perpetuating Ohia in Hawaii’s Forests
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The nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is partnering with other conservation organizations throughout the Hawaiian Islands to mitigate the spread of rapid ohia death (ROD), a fungal disease that continues to affect thousands of ohia trees on the island of Hawaii.
Through the E Mau Ana Ka Ohia (Perpetuating Ohia) program, NTBG is partnering with the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and its Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Lyon Arboretum, to collect and store millions of ohia lehua seeds. Working in conjunction with Hawaii Seed Bank Partnership organizations, the process includes reciprocating seeds of all four ohia species from each of the ten seed zones located on Kauai.
HTA is proud to support this partnership through its Aloha Aina Program. Visit
https://ntbg.org for more information.
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Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
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Since its founding in 1970, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival has sought to preserve, perpetuate and promote the Kona district’s world-renowned coffee heritage on the island of Hawaii. Each November, the story of Kona coffee’s history is shared with residents and visitors during the 10-day festival, set this year for November 9-18.
Coffee is an economic mainstay of Kona, where generations of farmers have continued to grow the crop following tradition. There are more than 650 coffee farms on the island of Hawaii, where coffee trees thrive thanks, in part, to the island’s rich volcanic soil and ideal climatic conditions.
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HTA is proud to support this event through its Signature Events Program. Visit
http://konacoffeefest.com for more information.
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David Kalakaua, Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch
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Born on November 16, 1836, David Laamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalakaua was the second elected monarch to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii and its second to last monarch. Kalakaua was of chiefly lineage, highly educated and spoke multiple languages fluently, including Hawaiian, English, French, German and Spanish. Like many Hawaiian monarchs before him, he also enjoyed music and composed "Hawaii Ponoi," the anthem of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which would later be adopted as Hawaii’s state song.
During the reign of Kalakaua’s predecessor William Charles Lunalilo, hula and many other Hawaiian cultural practices were banned and punishable by law. Kalakaua is credited with the revitalization of hula, mele (song), oli (chant) and other Hawaiian arts, and bringing forth the first Hawaiian Renaissance. Traditional chants, mele and hula were all a part of the official entertainment at Kalakaua’s coronation, held on the grounds of Iolani Palace, the royal palace commissioned by Kalakaua and built in 1879 in Honolulu.
Today, hula practitioners and enthusiasts from around the world gather annually to celebrate Kalakaua at the Merrie Monarch Festival, held in Hilo on the island of Hawaii. And much of Kalakaua’s legacy can still be seen throughout the Hawaiian Islands. In 1905, Old Waikiki Road was renamed Kalakaua Avenue in his honor. At the merging of Kalakaua and Kuhio avenues in Waikiki, a bronze statue in Kalakaua’s likeness commemorates the life and legacy of Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch.
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Proposals for HTA Signature Events
Due Nov. 16
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The deadline to submit proposals to HTA for funding support toward 2019 Signature Events is fast approaching.
HTA is accepting proposals for major festivals and events happening in
resort areas on Maui, Kauai, the island of Hawaii, and at Ko Olina on Oahu.
The deadline for applicants to submit proposals is Friday, November 16, at 4:30 p.m. HST.
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Maui
Nov. 9
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
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Island of Hawaii
Nov. 3, 9-18
Nov. 29-Dec. 2
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HTJ Continues Island of Hawaii Support
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In October, Hawaii Tourism Japan (HTJ) continued its phase two initiatives supporting the island of Hawaii recovery campaign to boost visitor arrivals following this summer’s Kilauea volcano lava flows in lower Puna. The social networking sites (SNS) and survey campaigns concluded in September yielding strong results indicating the willingness of Japanese consumers to assist the island of Hawaii in its recovery.
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Nearly 10,300 consumers participated in the survey campaign, with more than 3,600 expressing their intent to visit the island before February, an indicator of strong Japanese market support. The SNS campaign collected more than 3,000 posts with hashtags supporting the island of Hawaii, effectively expanding HTJ’s reach to new segments of potential travelers.
In addition, HTJ supported Japan Airlines’ one-year anniversary event at the Tommy Bahama Ginza store celebrating the air carrier’s direct service between Narita and Kona. More than 100 attendees representing various travel agencies and media outlets participated in the event, along with popular Japanese-American model Jun Hasegawa.
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HTJ Hosts Hawaii Expo in Sapporo
On September 1 and 2, HTJ hosted the annual Hawaii Expo on the island of Hokkaido in Sapporo, a city and venue site it selected to tap into a market with great growth potential. Building on its success in previous years, the Hawaii Expo event attracted more than 13,500 consumers, many of them avid travelers to Hawaii or very interested in visiting the Hawaiian Islands.
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Ten HTJ partner companies supported the event, operating booths promoting Hawaii to Japanese consumers. HTJ invited performers to take the event stage with hula, ukulele and Hawaiian music performances, piquing the interest of attendees.
An island of Hawaii seminar was also arranged for 37 Aloha Program members, led by Aloha Program Curator Daisuke Yoshimi and kumu hula (hula instructor) Keala Ching. Topics focused on the island of Hawaii, stories of Hawaiian volcano deity Pele, and sharing with program members accurate information following Kilauea volcano’s eruption.
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Journese Curators Celebration Held on Maui
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Hawaii Tourism United States (HTUSA) participated in the 2018 Journese Curators Celebration, held September 28-30 on Maui. The event recognized the achievements of luxury travel wholesaler Journese’s Top 25 revenue-producing travel advisors. Representatives from HTUSA and the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau attended the event’s welcome reception.
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HTUSA also conducted a breakfast presentation on the Hawaiian Islands and sponsored specialty lei and entertainment for the celebration’s farewell dinner. Participating Hawaii partners included The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Trilogy Maui, Four Seasons Resort Lanai and Roberts Hawaii.
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HTUSA and Island Chapters Blitz the U.S.
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From August 27-30, HTUSA and its Island Chapters conducted the U.S. East/U.S. West Leisure Sales Blitz touching down in Westchester, New York; Jersey City, New Jersey; Denver, Colorado and ending in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Eight travel agent training workshops were conducted, with 145 travel advisors participating in either the Hawaii Destination Specialist Live Workshop Training or Island Chapter updates.
Overall, 199 agents participated in the destination presentations, trade shows and supplier roundtables.
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HTO Supports the Sydney Kings in Hawaii
Hawaii Tourism Oceania (HTO) was a key sponsor of Australian professional men’s basketball team the Sydney Kings’ participation in a preseason game against the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers at the Clippers Hawaii Classic on Oahu, September 30. While in Hawaii, the team also took to the waves and enjoyed a Waikiki catamaran experience. Video content and photos of their experience were published across the Sydney Kings and HTO’s social media channels.
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As part of HTO’s brand partnership with the Sydney Kings, the Hawaiian Islands logo was featured on the uniforms of Sydney Kings players during the game, which was televised on ESPN. Photos of the players were also featured on popular online news websites such as
news.com.au, the
Herald Sun and
The Daily Telegraph.
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Helloworld
TV Show Films in Hawaii
HTO recently hosted the crew of Australian TV network Channel 9’s
Helloworld Travel series as it filmed on Maui and Oahu.
Helloworld Travel, which debuted in October, hopes to inspire viewers to travel the world. The crew filmed content for three Hawaii segments, which will air in the first quarter of 2019. The segments will focus on Hawaiian culture, soft adventure and family holidays.
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Experiences filmed included a Haleakala volcano sunrise experience, stand-up paddle boarding at Kaanapali Beach and ziplining on Maui. On Oahu, the crew filmed lei makers, the Friday night fireworks at Hilton Hawaiian Village, popular local eats, Kualoa Ranch, the Polynesian Cultural Center and Paradise Cove Luau. The program has an expected viewership of more than 470,000.
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Engaging with Canadian Travel Agents
Hawaii Tourism Canada (HTCAN) participated in successful Air Canada Vacations Sun Product Launch events in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Montreal, Quebec; Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia for travel agents. Thousands of agents attended and engaged in launch events, which included materials and updates on the Hawaiian Islands.
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Canadian Travel Agents Learn About Hawaii
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HTCAN partnered with Highgate Hawaii to host a training session during a recent Dine and Learn event in Saskatoon for select area travel agents. Session participants were given recent news and updates on the Hawaiian Islands and informational training on Highgate’s collection of properties.
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HTK and StrEAT Host #TastyHawaii Promotion
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Hawaii Tourism Korea (HTK) conducted the #TastyHawaii promotion, a culinary marketing campaign in collaboration with StrEAT, one of Korea’s leading Asian fusion restaurants. Held in the high-end Seoul residential district of Gangnam, the promotion extensively promoted Hawaii-inspired cuisine, offering interactive culinary experiences to consumers.
As part of the promotion, HTK and StrEAT co-produced a Hawaii fusion menu and created Hawaii cuisine meal coupons, which were distributed via #TastyHawaii online sweepstakes events on Instagram.
The offline sweepstakes event at StrEAT restaurant awarded door prizes – including roundtrip flights from Incheon to Honolulu, limited edition Aloha clutches and mouse pads – to more than 500 consumers. For its online social event, HTK posted a user-interface news card introducing Pacific Rim cuisine and held a sweepstakes from September 20 to 26.
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HTK Collaborates with
Elle
on Digital Content
In an effort targeting Korean leisure travelers ages 20 to 30, HTK invited Korea celebrity influencer Ms. Yeongjoo Oh, as well as fashion and lifestyle magazine
Elle, on a visit to Oahu in August to develop digital travel content for IGTV, an Instagram app allowing users to create and share videos up to an hour in length.
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Three series of videos were produced covering a variety of Oahu experiences, including bars, restaurants, shops, accommodations and activities, each promoting the island as a destination for young, active travelers.
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HTHK Supports ALOHA is Hawaii Campaign
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Hawaii Tourism Hong Kong (HTHK) supported Expedia Hong Kong and United Airlines in the launch of the ALOHA is Hawaii online campaign, aimed at promoting the culture and natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.
As part of the campaign, which launched on September 10, Expedia published a series of Hawaii travel blog stories with titles including "Aloha in Hawaii Itinerary," "15 Fun Facts About Hawaii" and "Five Hawaii Festivals You Must Not Miss."
HTHK also worked with Marriott Hawaii, Roberts Hawaii, Alan Wong’
s Honolulu restaurant and the Battleship Missouri Memorial to sponsor giveaways for a social media game. United Airlines offered a special promotion on Expedia to boost travel to the Hawaiian Islands. The overall campaign reached more than 500,000 potential consumers.
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HTT Partners with
Ciao
Magazine
Hawaii Tourism Taiwan (HTT) recently worked with leading Taiwan travel magazine
Ciao to promote the Hawaiian Islands as the top destination for couples and honeymooners seeking luxurious experiences. The cover story of the magazine’s November issue will focus on Hawaii romance offerings, including accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki Beach, tours of Kualoa Ranch, the sunset view from Magic Island in Ala Moana Beach Park, spa services and Oahu scenery.
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The cover of
Ciao’s November issue will feature renowned Taiwanese model, singer and actress Tia Lee, who has 1.1 million followers on Facebook and more than 500,000 on Instagram. Lee and a team from the magazine visited and filmed on Oahu from September 26-30. Video teasers featuring the Oahu shoot were scheduled for posting on
Ciao’s website in late October.
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HTC Joint Co-op with Toursforfun
Hawaii Tourism China (HTC) and leading China-based online travel agency Toursforfun launched a large-scale Hawaiian Islands sales promotion in September spotlighting Hawaii products targeted at China’s leisure travel market. The Islands were featured in promotional banners and a Hawaii-themed landing page on Toursforfun’s website and app homepage.
The promotion generated more than 600 passenger bookings and received more than 20,000 page views. In addition, HTC shared Hawaii scenic landscapes and cultural performances with more than 2,000 attendees of a September event in Luhu, a high-end community in Chengdu. Hawaii vacation packages were also promoted at the event to encourage traveler interest in visiting the Islands.
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Hawaii Cuisine Showcased in Shanghai
HTC showcased Hawaii cuisine and Hawaii-made food products at the Shanghai Wine and Dine Festival, held from September 14-16.
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Among the island food favorites featured at the festival, which drew more than 50,000 avid foodies, were Hawaiian Host sweets, poke bowls, Mauna Loa candies and Kona-grown coffee. Attendees also participated in interactive hula performances.
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HTSEA Targets Malaysian Travel Agents
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In September, Hawaii Tourism Southeast Asia (HTSEA) promoted the island of Hawaii to attendees of MATTA Fair, a premier biannual travel fair organized by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), offering travel consumers information on a wide range of travel deals. MATTA annually attracts more than 100,000 participants to its fairs, held in the spring and fall.
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HTSEA tapped into the fair’s offical publication MATTA Show Daily, which is distributed throughout the event and provides newsworthy information for travel agents. HTSEA promoted the island of Hawaii in print ads and three articles featuring the island’s top places to explore.
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HTE Hosts Product Managers in Hawaii
In October, Hawaii Tourism Europe (HTE) United Kingdom coordinated a product manager familiarization trip coinciding with HTA’s Global Tourism Summit, offering attendees opportunities to learn more about the Hawaiian Islands and its hotel offerings. The FAM group spent five nights on Oahu during the summit and three additional nights on the island of Hawaii. Highlights included a trip to Kualoa Ranch on Oahu and a helicopter ride over Kilauea volcano’s most recent lava flow on the island of Hawaii.
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Integrated Campaign Targets Holiday Travel
HTE U.K. and Germany recently launched Experience Our Aloha, an integrated consumer-facing campaign focused on driving U.K. and Ireland consumer sales for travel to Hawaii during the September-November peak travel season. The campaign stimulates demand for holiday getaways to the Hawaiian Islands by educating travelers about diverse experiences in the Islands and features video content from local aloha ambassadors.
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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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