Saturday, April 18, 1998

By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
The King Kamehameha statue, above, and Iolani Palace,
below, could be at the center of a historical tourism industry
emphasizing Hawaii's royal and missionary past.

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Back to our Future

To see what could be ahead for
Hawaii, look to the past. Historical
tourism could help revive
the economy.

By C. Richard Fassler
Special to the Star-Bulletin

There's a war going on -- a war for the tourist dollar -- and this state isn't winning. Hawaii's chief competitors, Las Vegas and Orlando, are not only ahead, they're leaving it further behind by continually adding visitor attractions.

This is a most alarming situation given the fact that tourism is not only Hawaii's No. 1 industry, but is increasingly so, as its back-up industries (sugar, pineapple and military spending) are rapidly retreating and no replacements have emerged.

More money can be thrown into the selling of the tourism product, or something can be done that makes more sense. Improve the product itself. If Hawaii is going to sock it to tourists with hotel room and excise tax hikes, shouldn't it give them something back?

How? By taking advantage of a feature that Las Vegas and Orlando don't have: a past and, especially, a royal past. The Magic Kingdom, island style, can be real.

Historical tourism is not new. It has been a key component of the economies of cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans for a hundred years. Hawaii has a fascinating history, replete with kings and queens, missionaries and whalers, a potential saint and plenty of sinners. It is an extremely valuable resource.

Here are some things that are happening and some things that could be done:

Restoring the monarchy. The restoration of the Hawaiian monarchy could provide the biggest boost to the visitor industry since planes started flying over the Pacific. The world is in love with royalty (witness "Diana-mania"). This has translated into valuable dollars for such countries as England and Thailand, where annually millions of visitors tour royal palaces and museums, and purchase souvenirs.

State Rep. Terry Nui Yoshinaga recently introduced a resolution that called for a study of the feasibility of bringing back Hawaii's monarchy. Alas, HCR 231 died in committee, but that resolution will be introduced again next year with, hopefully, more success.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

Economic development and tourism conference. The significance of historical tourism has not been lost on the Historic Hawaii Foundation. It is organizing a conference that will explore the possibilities of using Hawaii's heritage to encourage economic development. Scheduled for May 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, "Heritage Preservation & Tourism, Working Together to Strengthen Hawaii's Economy" will feature mainland experts explaining how they spun historic revitalization into tourist gold. A key part of the meeting will be lectures on "The Community as an Educational Resource," with tours of the Manoa Chinese Cemetery and historic homes of the valley, led by Malama o Manoa.

Hawaiian fishponds. Hawaiian fishponds are unique, cultural resources that have been disintegrating and disappearing for a century. But now the state and a community group have teamed up to restore Honouliwai Fishpond on Molokai, with plans to rebuild dozens more throughout the islands.

The ponds have the potential to become an important visitor attraction, particularly on the neighbor islands, as they demonstrate how the ancient Hawaiians achieved sustainable aquaculture production to feed several hundred thousand people. Sadly, the Aquaculture Development Program of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which was responsible for obtaining the numerous permits for the restoration, has fallen victim to the governor's cost-cutting plans.

The Kamehameha statue. The heart of historical Hawaii is downtown Honolulu, but it's a rather cold heart. Most visitors who make it to the district are deposited at the Kamehameha statue. Signs warn them to stay off the grass and not climb the statue. If they wander over to take a picture of the banyan tree, they are in danger of being hit by a car, a tour bus or garbage truck. Venturing across five lanes of traffic on King Street to Iolani Palace is a life-threatening experience.

Conversely, drive around the mainland and see signs everywhere, telling in great detail the significance of some battle, or who lived at that spot, and so forth. Oddly enough, a few blocks away on Fort Street Mall, there's a statue of Robert Wilcox, with information which provides a good deal on his life and accomplishments. How much does an informational sign cost?

Iolani Palace. Across King Street, all spruced up and waiting for many more visitors, sits Iolani Palace, one of the most historically interesting buildings in the United States and, many might say, the most culturally important structure in Hawaii. The other day, two tourists at the statue were speculating on who lived in the splendid building across the street. One swore it was the governor; the other, tongue in cheek, thought Tom Selleck!

No wonder they didn't know, because the letters on the rusty sign near the front gate measure two-inches high and can't be read from the statue. Surprisingly, further down King Street, the Mission Houses, which are a fraction of the palace in terms of size and importance, has a sign 10 times as big.

Iolani Palace should be the most visited building in the state -- with radiant gardens; a thriving, money-making museum and palace shop; greatly expanded tour offerings; a display of royal guards for answering questions and posing for cameras; and a sign explaining its significance.

What miracle would it take to increase attendance? Why, simply allowing the tour bus drivers, who herd their riders to the Kamehameha statue, to drop them 50 yards away at the palace, or to install a stop light on King Street. After that, invite the dozens of tour bus operators who currently avoid downtown to put the "Historic District" on their itinerary, and set aside parking on Richards Street.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Much more could be done to promote visitor interest in
Hawaii's history. The sign for the small cluster of Mission Houses
buildings on King Street is 10 times bigger than the sign
identifying Iolani Palace across the street.

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The Historic District

Tourists should spend hours visiting the Historic District, but they don't. Here's what could be done:

Representatives from the various historical attractions (Mission Houses Museum, the state Judiciary, the Mayor's Office on Culture and the Arts, Friends of Iolani Palace, Friends of the Library, the Downtown Neighborhood Board) should form a committee which would recommend improvements -- everything from signage to traffic lights. One of their first acts should be to make the area more visitor-friendly by publishing a map and description of the features, to be distributed at every stop.

The committee should seek funding to erect additional statues. What about other royalty, such as Princess Kaiulani (next year is the centennial of her death), or famous visitors such as Robert Louis Stevenson or Mark Twain (for in front of the main library)? The statues would provide educational and photographic opportunities; ever notice how tourists like to take pictures?

The state should lease a portion of the historic Old Federal Building, ewa of the Kamehameha statue, and contract with the Bishop Museum to turn this into a first-class attraction, much like First Hawaiian Bank's arrangement with the Contemporary Museum. The building already looks like a museum.

The state should remove the dumpster under the banyan tree near the Kamehameha statue and turn the area into a park.

I would guess the cost of signs, statues and brochures would be less than $1 million. Compare the benefits of these improvements to the Convention Center ($200 million), the proposed Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau marketing budget ($60 million) or the Miss Universe Pageant ($3 million), none of which offer tourists more to see and do.

A final note

Hawaii's economic crisis is forcing it to take a much-needed look at non-traditional means of economic development. Historical tourism, like eco-tourism, may not make the state a million dollars overnight, but it does offer the visitor a more interesting and enjoyable vacation.

Who knows? Tourists may be inclined to stay longer, spend more money and come back from their Hawaiian vacation with more than a suntan.

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C. Richard Fassler is an economic development
specialist for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.