Meet Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i industry partners were out in force in May showcasing Hawai‘i as a premier destination for corporate meetings, conventions and incentive (MCI) business. The East Coast MCI Sales Team and Marriott Hotels of Hawai‘i shared aloha in Washington, D.C., on sales calls to five key partners over two days. Highlights included meetings with Optica (a leading society in optics and photonics), Meetings Management (professional meeting planners) and HelmsBriscoe (a leader in meeting procurement and site selection) as well as several client receptions with more than two dozen meeting planners in attendance. Representatives of Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa were also in D.C. calling on key customers to promote the resort and the island of Maui.

The Meet Hawai‘i team organized a week of sales calls in Houston, Austin and Dallas for its annual Texas Sales Blitz. Presentations and destination updates were provided to Toyota-Lexus, Keurig/Dr. Pepper and other high-profile corporate clients, as well as major incentive houses and third-party partners, creating new business opportunities for Hawai‘i. ‘Alohilani Resort Waikīkī Beach, Marriott Waikīkī Collection, The Kāhala Hotel and Resort, and Wailea Beach Resort also participated in this year’s blitz.

On June 29, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Director Mike McCartney issued the following update on HTA RFP 22-01 covering the areas of brand management and visitor education services for the United States market, as well as support services shared by Hawai‘i’s brand management teams worldwide.

“As the Head of the Purchasing Agency for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, I am responsible for overseeing the process for RFP 22-01 for the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA). The Hawaiian Islands are in the middle of the busy summer travel season and planning needs to be done for the upcoming fall period. Therefore, I have determined, with the concurrence with the State’s Chief Procurement Officer, that it is advantageous for the state to extend the current U.S. MMA contract with Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau for 90 days, until September 28, which should provide adequate time to resolve the current protest.

The three-month extensions of the two contracts, for U.S. market brand management ($4,250,000) and global support services ($375,000), continue the current level of services. After conferring with HTA President & CEO John De Fries, we agreed that granting this extension is in the best interest of our State and creates the necessary timeframe within which the protest can be resolved.”

Hawai‘i Tourism USA (HTUSA) hosted four educational events for 156 travel advisors in Bellevue, Washington, as well as California cities Sacramento, Fremont and Newport Beach, from May 16 to 19. Qualified travel advisors enthusiastically participated in an in-depth, Hawaiian cultural workshop featuring cultural expert Hi‘ilani Shibata, followed by a trade show with 18 Hawai‘i supplier exhibitors. The evening session featured destination updates on the Hawaiian Islands from HTUSA and Island Chapter representatives, supplier product presentations, and an interview with special guest speaker and Mālama Hawai‘i ambassador Rick Barboza of Hui Kū Maoli Ola. Rick discussed sustainable farming and his organization’s dedication to the preservation of Hawai‘i’s natural history and culture through the propagation of native Hawaiian plants. Live hula and mele (songs and chants) performances accompanied the HTUSA team’s aloha from Hawai‘i. The event was recorded and will be distributed to travel advisors and posted on agents.gohawaii.com for on-demand viewing.

With the start of the peak summer travel season about to begin, more Americans (33.4%) agreed it was a good time to spend money on travel, according to a May survey from Destination Analysts. Additionally, 61.7% said leisure travel will be a high-spending priority for them — the highest level for that percentage since July 2021. However, the survey also indicated that impacts of inflation and pricing are definitely being felt throughout the industry.

Gov. David Ige led a Hawai‘i delegation trip to Japan, from May 8 to 13, to meet with top Japan government officials, renewable energy organizations, businesses and tourism stakeholders in person. The group’s travel marked the first international destination trip for a Hawai‘i delegation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the visit was to personally communicate the importance of the longtime relationship between Hawai‘i and Japan to government officials in Japan, meet Japan business leaders and discuss further investments and commitments to Hawai‘i. It was also to facilitate discussions with hospitality stakeholders to recover tourism from Japan and encourage Mālama Hawai‘i initiatives. The Hawai‘i delegation met with tourism stakeholders from the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), All Nippon Airways (ANA), JTB, Japan Airlines, JCB and H.I.S. Each of the stakeholders visited had integrated Mālama Hawaiʻi into their owned media and communication channels to educate Japanese travelers prior to their Hawaiʻi visits.

Hawai‘i Tourism Japan (HTJ) supported 10 Hawaiʻi events in Japan in May, including collaborations with two major events: Aloha Tokyo and the JST Nagoya Hawai‘i Festival. HTJ’s booth theme at both festivals was “Mālama Hawaiʻi,” aiming to educate Hawai‘i enthusiasts on being pono, responsible and mindful travelers. HTJ created Mālama Hawaiʻi banners, posters and educational videos about the Share the Aloha campaign and Hawaiʻi Connections. More than 189,000 attendees participated in Aloha Tokyo and over 85,000 attended the JST Nagoya Hawai‘i Festival.

In May, HTJ launched its Aloha Program Instagram and hosted an Instagram Live event broadcasting O‘ahu’s Lei Day Celebration live from Kapiʻolani Park. Sharing the event’s happenings alongside information about Hawai‘i, HTJ offered Japan Instagram viewers an opportunity to participate virtually in one of Hawaiʻi’s major annual events and be a part of the cultural celebration. On May 7, HTJ posted a pre-recorded May Day special program on Facebook, further extending the event’s reach to potential travelers.

In addition, HTJ conducted an Instagram Live broadcast from the Bishop Museum on May 1, which attracted more than 28,000 viewers with a total reach of over 60,000 people.

Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions at the U.S. border are being extended until at least June 30. During this time, the federal government will continue to require foreign visitors to provide proof of being fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated Canadian citizens or permanent residents must also show proof of a COVID-19 molecular test before entering Canada and be quarantined for 14 days. In addition, all travelers to Canada must submit their health information via the ArriveCAN app prior to entry, regardless of citizenship. Ottawa’s vaccine mandate for airline and train travel remains in place.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending the extension of COVID-19 border restrictions, stating the decision is “anchored in science.” All this as representatives from the travel and tourism sector gathered in Ottawa to demand “urgent relief” at borders by decreasing delays travelers are facing at Canadian airports.

Leaders across the travel and tourism industry urged Ottawa to take the following

short-term actions:

Kaua‘i Featured in Travel Courier Magazine

The May issue of Canada-based Baxter Media’s Travel Courier magazine featured an article on the island of Kaua‘i. Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau Director of Marketing Maile Brown spoke to Travel Courier editors about new visitor experiences on the island and offered advice on practicing mālama when visiting Hawaiʻi. She also spoke on our collective kuleana to care for all our islands and how Hawai‘i visitors are now more engaged with activities representing values of mālama and kuleana. In the article, Maile suggests several activities visitors should consider on their Kaua‘i visit, including buying local and experiencing the island’s culinary uniqueness and culture.

On May 26, Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania (HTO) educated attendees on all things Hawai‘i at the BEYOND travel expo in Parramatta, the main business district of Greater Western Sydney, Australia. The event was sponsored by nonprofit ACON and hosted by Planetdwellers Travel as part of HTO’s ongoing efforts to share information about the Hawaiian Islands in the LGBTQIA+ community.

HTO escorted a production crew from the Australia-based television series “Luxury Escapes” on O‘ahu in early June. The crew filmed at multiple locations during its week on the island, including the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach and Turtle Bay Resort. It also participated in mālama-based activities with North Shore Eco Tours and Kualoa Ranch. The “Luxury Escapes” episode featuring O‘ahu is scheduled to air in August or September.

Hawaiʻi Tourism Korea (HTK) recently hosted its first Busan Roadshow in two years, networking with travel trade partners and positioning Hawai‘i as a priority

post-pandemic destination. HTK introduced its major campaigns for 2022 — including Mālama Hawaiʻi and Kuleana — and invited professional lecturer Dayoung Kim to introduce environmental, social, and governance (ESG) trends as well as share insights on sustainable travel product development and sales to travel agencies. Attending the event were 45 partners from the Busan travel industry. A lucky-draw winner received Hawai‘i travel accommodations courtesy of the Kāhala Hotel and Resort and Prince Resorts Hawai‘i.

The HTK team arrived in Busan a day before the roadshow to meet with Korean Air Busan, Asiana Airlines Busan, Hanatour Busan and Modetour Busan to learn more about market changes over the past two years and create a network with travel trade partners in Busan.

HTK recently launched its Hawai‘i Inside video project, engaging a Hawai‘i-based correspondent to deliver lively, up-to-date content on HTK’s Instagram channel. The effort is part of a year-long integrated Mālama Hawai‘i campaign timed with the reopening of the outbound travel market in Korea. The Hawai‘i Inside project aims to grow the number of fans and interaction on HTK’s Instagram channel by sharing more information on Hawai‘i offerings, providing helpful travel tips sharing the message of Mālama Hawai‘i, and promoting Made in Hawai‘i products and community-based festivals and events. Hawai‘i Inside has released five videos so far, featuring Kuleana Travel Tips, the Mālama Hawai‘i activity at Kualoa Ranch, family-friendly beaches and lū‘au.

In May, HTK began sharing Kuleana and Mālama Hawai‘i videos with an aim of educating Korean travelers and inspiring them to travel mindfully while in Hawai‘i. The videos included five on Hawai‘i Travel Tips, addressing culture, ocean safety, marine life, ocean conservation and land safety, as well as a “Hawai‘i Is Our Home” video. With a goal of reaching and inspiring Korea target segments most likely to travel abroad this year, the campaign has generated more than 2 million impressions so far. The campaign is slated to continue through August, when the newly published and translated “Aloha Is for Everyone” video will be made available.

As part of its pre-travel communication, HTK is working with multiple Korea air carriers and travel agencies to identify optimal methods for distributing Hawai‘i travel tips to citizens booking Hawai‘i trips. Through these methods, videos from the Kuleana Travel Tip series will be distributed, with translated subtitles, to Korean travelers to Hawai‘i from July through October.

In May, Hawai‘i Tourism China (HTC) collaborated with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on social media content celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month. From May 9 to 19, the Hawaiian Islands were promoted and social media content posted on the U.S. Embassy’s Weibo page. With reposting by the U.S. Consulates across China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Wuhan), the Hawai‘i content has so far generated nearly 3.7 million views and more than 15,000 engagements (reposts, comments and likes) across China. The Hawaiʻi Tourism China Weibo account (@夏威夷旅游局) was referenced in the content in addition to designated hashtags: #夏威夷 #Malama #关爱夏威夷 #MalamaHawai‘i.

HTC conducted its first local Chinese ground tour operator and tour guide training on O‘ahu on May 19. The HTC team shared with tour operators its social marketing strategy, the Mālama Hawai‘i campaign and Kuleana/Share Aloha/Travel Tips videos. Attending the session were 20 participants from Hawaiʻi Global Holiday, Dragon Tours, Hawaiʻi Tengda Travel, Four Season Holidays, Hawaiʻi-Day Weddings and Events, and Hawaiʻi Summer Tour Group.