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Hawaii will see
tourism boom in 2003,
chief Korean consul says

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By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

Despite sweeping reforms, Korea still has not fully recovered from the economic setback of the last few years, significantly reducing tourism to Hawaii.

But as Korea transforms into a genuine market economy, Hawaii tourism should benefit as well, said Gabriel Oh, Korea's vice consul general in Honolulu.

Oh said that in 1999, only 40,000 Koreans visited Hawaii -- some 20 percent of what the state had been seeing during healthier economic times. "These figures have not picked up to the level before the Korean economic crisis," he said, but the picture is changing. "It's going up without a doubt."

When Korea celebrates the centennial of its immigration to the United States in 2003, however, Oh expects some 30 events planned in Hawaii to bring thousands of tourists into the state.

Oh was one of four consuls general speaking yesterday at a Friends of the East-West Center luncheon at the Halekulani Hotel. Consuls general of the Philippines, Japan and Australia also stressed the importance of improving their countries' relationships with the United States, and particularly Hawaii.

Japanese Consul General Minoru Shibuya said his first duty is to the 200,000 Japanese tourists to Hawaii each year, as well as all Japanese nationals living in the state. But he would also like to promote a better understanding between the cultures through exchange programs and encouraging Japanese visitors to actively study Hawaiian and Japanese-American history and interact more with Hawaii residents while in the islands.

Shibuya also said communication was key, including keeping Hawaii abreast of the country's struggles to recover its economy.

Rolando Gregoria, consul general of the Philippines, pointed to a number of successful Filipino community members, including the governor and several state legislators, and said his country would continue to support entrepreneurship by Filipinos in Hawaii, as well as take advantage of opportunities to learn new technology to bring back to the Philippines.

Australian Consul General Peter Woolcott -- who also serves as representative to Commander in Chief, Pacific, exercises -- said though there are no longer any major Australian companies in Hawaii, trade between the two countries is still steady.

Outrigger Hotels and Bank of Hawaii have been exploring opportunities on the mainland, he said, noting that many Australian products are marketed here first. "Hawaii is a niche market for Australia."