Hawaii tourism leaders
work to unite on plan
for Legislature session

Preliminary ideas include
an additional $10 million for promo

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By Russ Lynch
rlynch@starbulletin.com

Hawaii tourist industry executives are working long hours toward presenting a united front at an emergency session of the Legislature, tentatively set to start Oct. 15.

While money is part of the picture, with some members of the Hawaii Tourism Authority Board hoping for a $10 million emergency fund for immediate Hawaii destination marketing, there are dozens of other issues, an HTA meeting yesterday showed.

Under consideration by all of the HTA committees are issues such as how to maximize Hawaii's image through big nationally televised events such as the Ironman Triathlon on the Big Island next month and how to make sure the airlines keep enough seats to Hawaii available to deal with whatever demand can be created.

Meanwhile, Hawaii has lost some convention business because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack that interfered with much of the nation's travel, but a positive aspect is a string of information requests from convention organizers who think Hawaii may be a better place to hold conventions scheduled for Europe and the East Coast of the mainland, the HTA board was told.

There have been a lot of contacts from Japan, said Randall Tanaka, Hawaii Convention Center marketing director.

"Anything that was going into Europe is on hold," he said, as are conventions from Japan and some other countries that had been scheduled for parts of the mainland.

Meanwhile, Hawaii has a lost a few small meetings but no big conventions yet, said Joe Davis, convention center general manager.

"There are five postponed events. All will likely rebook," Davis told the HTA meeting.

HTA member Keith Vieira, head of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' operations in Hawaii, said the HTA's marketing committee has been considering a request for $10 million in emergency state funding, to be matched by a similar amount from the private sector.

Emergency funding and other issues were to be discussed at a meeting of the state Senate Committee on Tourism & Intergovernmental Affairs, scheduled for 10 a.m. today.

One of the problems HTA members and committees are facing is getting all of their proposals together in time for the special legislative session. Legal advisers cautioned yesterday that the HTA board and its committees must stick to the rules and make public agenda announcements one week before each meeting.

With only about two weeks before the session, that may be a problem, members said.