UH exec:

Tourism needs
full support

He tells a forum that the
isles' economy can benefit if
industries band together

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Those who argue that tourism is too dominant in Hawaii and resources would be better spent developing alternatives are missing the point, says veteran industry observer Chuck Gee.

Gee, dean of the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii, launched the school's two-day Strategic Tourism Forum today by saying tourism is the only really marketable resource Hawaii has now and everybody should get behind it.

But Gee, who has stressed this point before, said that Hawaii's overall economy can benefit from tourism if the visitor industry and other local industries work together.

Examples he gave included bringing tourism and agriculture together -- showing visitors how our famous crops are produced -- and linking tourism and high technology.

"Must we speak of a high-tech industry, or at least its potential in Hawaii, as something separate from the tourism industry? Tourism, as we all know, has been the central driving force behind the technological innovation in the information industry," Gee said.

Tourism and travel information and bookings comprised one of the earliest commercial applications of the Internet, he said, and are still dominant on the 'Net.

Gee said he doesn't argue with the widely held theory that too many eggs in the tourism basket will lead to overdependence and an economy dictated by "the vicissitudes of visitor arrivals."

"On the other hand, what new industry can we develop to match tourism's breadth, scope and depth, providing for export income, taxes and employment?" he said.

"Rather than worry about over-dependence on tourism, we should direct our efforts at expanding this dynamic industry by creating linkages between tourism and other businesses and service sectors," Gee said in remarks prepared for the forum at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The state -- through the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, the Department of Agriculture and others including the fashion industry -- have for several years linked Hawaii products and services to tourism promotion.

Gee said the best immediate return on investment is to do more of that, rather than push other industries by themselves.

Meanwhile, Gee said, Hawaii tourism is a "mature" industry with a downslope in front of it unless action is taken to revitalize it. That push can come from the newly appointed Hawaii Tourism Authority, charged with setting the direction of the industry, he said.

The seminar -- moderated by graduates of Travel Industry Management school who have gone on to important Hawaii and world posts -- was aimed at a broad strategic look at Hawaii tourism.