Robert Pugmire, a visitor from Seattle, uses a VideoGuide terminal recently at the MTI Vacations Inc. travel desk at the Ilikai Hotel Nikko Waikiki. Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin

It's a laser disc-based interactive video system that gives tourists a chance to see and hear a sample of what they might visit.

A Canadian company, International Tourism Services, developed the system, called VideoGuide, and contacted Marc Jensen, developer of interactive television systems for hotel rooms and shopping malls, to see how it could be applied in Hawaii.

Jensen brought it to island marketing expert Tom Laidlaw and the system got into gear when they signed Atlantis Submarines as a corporate sponsor.

Now marketed by Vine Marketing Inc.- the Vine stands for Video Interactive Network Exchange - the system so far has 65 terminals at travel desks, according to publishing and advertising executive Ted Sturdivant, Vine president.

Demonstrating a unit recently at the MTI Vacations Inc. travel desk in the lobby of the Ilikai Hotel Nikko Waikiki, Sturdivant said it runs video clips of up to a minute long or sets of slides depending on the needs of the particular tour or attraction.

In the Atlantis video, tourists see inside the submarine, getting a glimpse of how much room they'll have from their seats and how close to the windows they can get. They also get a sample of underwater views they will encounter when they try the real thing.

They can watch some of the dance performances at the Polynesian Cultural Center, look inside various island restaurants and get views of neighbor island hotels.

Each unit has its own laser disc, updated every few months, Sturdivant said. Visitors use a hand-held selector, like a television remote control but connected to the unit by a cable, to select what they want to see of nearly 60 attractions, ranging from rental cars to trips, shows and hotels.

They can stop a video at any time, rewind it to see something again, or jump instantly to another attraction.

"I saw that the activity desks just can't go forward just using brochures and rack cards to sell activities," Sturdivant said.

Some of the smarter travel desk clerks have been quick to catch on, Laidlaw said. They'll see a visitor holding a brochure and even without waiting to consult the potential client, they'll order up the video for that particular attraction.

Harvey Green, general manager of Sun Treks Hawaii, said his sales have increased because of the new sales tool.

But Green said desk personnel tell him they'd like the videos to be longer.

Brad McGuire, Hawaii field operations manager for MTI Vacations, said in a letter to Vine Marketing that sales have increase 6 percent to 9 percent using the video system.

McGuire, however, shares Green's desire for longer videos.