STAR-BULLETIN / 2003 Terryl Vencl participated in the Governor's Statewide Tourism Summit at the State Capitol earlier this year as executive director of the Maui Hotel Association. Later this month she takes the helm at the Valley Isle's visitors' bureau.

New MVB head
used to balancing
diverse interests

Terryl Vencl >> Title: Executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau, beginning July 15 >> History: Executive director of the Maui Hotel Association for 11 years

Maui's visitor industry is looking pretty good, while the state as a whole is flat. What's going right there?

It's things that have been going right for a long time. We've worked for a long time to make Maui top of mind and there's some pent-up demand. I think people are tired of waiting to see what the next disaster in the world might be and they're just saying, let's go.

The U.S. economy is weak, Japan's economy is battered, but the state, and particularly Waikiki, has built for a wealthy visitor. Is that a sustainable strategy?

I can only speak for Maui and yes, I think it is. It's been successful for us and I see no need to change that.

What is Maui's visitor marketing strategy?

Longer stays and increased spending.

How do you plan to get there?

I don't know if I can answer all those questions yet. I know there are niches we work in, weddings for example. But I don't really feel qualified yet to comment on all of that.

Have you had a chance to think about changes you might want to see in strategy?

Right know I don't intend to change the existing strategy. It has been a long-term vision and it's worked for us. We tweak it in response to changes and world events, but the fundamental strategy has been in place for a long time.

How much of the bureau's attention is focused on Lanai and Molokai?

Percentage-wise I don't know if I can tell you what that number is, but I can tell you that every time we talk about our strategy, our vision, Lanai and Molokai are as important as the island of Maui.

Your background is with the Maui Hotel Association, so you're familiar with some of the large companies that have an interest in Maui tourism, but there are also many small businesses in the industry, from B&Bs to attractions. How does the bureau balance the interests of these groups?

Let me explain something to you; the Maui Hotel Association is not just for large hotels. We have small hotels, we have time shares and we have B&Bs. We also have allied members, which are businesses, many small businesses, who want to work with hotels. So I will admit that there are a lot of activities that I will need to learn more about, but I imagine we'll deal with it the same way to do at MHA, we try to include small, large, south, west, we look at all those things and include them in the mix.

You're leaving Sunday for a promotional trip to Japan. How significant is that market to Maui County?

The market is significant for a number of reasons. While we don't necessarily carry the same numbers Waikiki does, it is important in any market or potential market to nurture and build those relationships. While I've been to Japan once, I'll be meeting people I've never met before. It's important to me for them to meet the new person at the Maui Visitors Bureau and it's important for me to meet them. Regardless of how small the market share is, we need to nurture it.

What are the options for relieving crowding at Kahului Airport?

Some are as small as moving furniture around, some are as large as expanding buildings. In the short term I'd like to see the lobby rearranged to improve flow of traffic. And at the security checkpoint as you go upstairs, we're putting music out there and people love it. It makes the line not seem as long. I'd like to look at whether there's more we can do there. For example, are there announcements that can be made while they're in line to get people better prepared for the screening, so people are not being pulled out of line at the end?

What about runway expansion?

My stand has always been, and will continue to be, if runway length can be less than we thought it could be because technology has improved, then that's fine. But we need the length and the strength to allow the airlines that want to come to Maui to land safely and take off, fully loaded, safely.

How have higher interisland ticket prices affected Maui?

I don't know if I have an answer for that. I know that I hear business people clamor about it and it's hard for those of us who have to travel back and forth to see expenses go up like that, but has it affected visitor traffic back and forth to Maui? Not that I'm aware of.

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