Plan B Strategies, based in Montreal, was selected Thursday from three finalists and is expected to publish some 400,000 copies of the planner a year, said Tom Enomoto, director of marketing services for the HVCB. The other finalists were the present publisher, Davick Publications Inc., and Island Publishing Co., a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based firm.

The publication is sent out free to potential travelers who call the HVCB "800" number, ask for it through the bureau's Internet page, or write in for it. In the past, the publisher kept all the advertising revenues to cover production costs and his profit and the HVCB got a free official guide in return.

The HVCB had wanted the annual publication to be split up into three or more issues a year but after looking at the proposals opted for twice a year, Enomoto said today.

Plan B Strategies, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, will pay the HVCB $100,000 a year to help cover distribution costs, he said.

That was a sore point with Honolulu publisher Rick Davis, whose Davick Publications recently issued its fifth Islands of Aloha, with 120 pages. The company also publishes Aloha magazine and a Nevada guide for Hawaii residents.

Davis said the charge would have to be passed onto the advertisers, who are local businesses seeking to attract tourists. "I was the only publisher who strenuously fought against the $100,000," he said.

Davis also said the local advertisers oppose publishing more than once a year. "I checked with the industry. Nobody wants it twice a year. They want it once," Davis said.

He said loss of the work would be a serious blow to his business. "For 20 years we have been in the business of exhibiting Hawaii through high-quality print media."

Enomoto said the pick was made after a lengthy review process, including talks with advertising and printing consultants.