|
TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Breakfast boosts
Eggs ’n Things among
Japanese visitorsVenerable local eatery Eggs 'n Things is the top place to eat for visitors from Japan, according to a recent online survey.
The November 2002 to March 2003 poll was compiled by Hawaii-based PacRim Marketing Group Inc. and Japan-based Diamond Big Corp. The companies published the first "Onolicious Guide" in the Chikyu no Arukikata Hawaii Globetrotter Travel Guide Book, prepared for the Japan market. PacRim publishes the online version of the guidebook in Japanese at www.Hawaii-Arukikata.com. To successfully navigate the site one must have a computer and a brain that can read Japanese.
Six top-10 lists resulted from the survey: "Most Popular Overall" and five rankings of "Most Popular By Theme."
Eggs 'n Things appeared in each list, and at or near the top of most, hence its top rank among the overall winners. It also topped the first theme, a list of restaurants Japanese visitors would recommend based on taste. Perry's Smorgy Restaurants took the "Great for Families" category, Kua Aina Sandwich Shop led the "Great Places for Lunch" list, Alan Wong's Restaurant was the No. 1 "Restaurant I Want to Try on My Next Visit to Hawaii," and Mariposa was the cream of the crop of "Restaurants I Really Liked on My Last Visit to Hawaii."
The rest of the results can be viewed in English at www.pacrimmarketing.com/news/current/381.html
The poll is not scientific, acknowledged PacRim Senior Consultant David Keuning, but more than 1,600 Japanese visitors cast electronic write-in ballots. Choices for the poll were not limited to guidebook or Web site advertisers, "but I would like the winners to call our sales manager now," he laughed.
"I always find it interesting to find out how our islands are perceived through Japanese eyes," he said.
The eclectic results also represent a wake-up call, Keuning said. "We feel like we're entitled to the Japanese visitor and people that study trends are a little more realistic." Many destinations, such as Singapore and Bali, compete against Hawaii for Japanese visitors.
"People come here and we figure that because they've always gone to the restaurant in the hotel and had a meal there, as long as they have a Japanese menu they're serving the Japanese customer. However, you look at the results of the survey, which are kind of surprising to us, and you see Yummy's. How did they figure that out?"
Increasingly, Japanese visitors have already done Waikiki and are now going off the beaten path, finding places where locals eat, or they're going to neighbor islands.
The poll could be seen as merely an amusing list, but Keuning sees deeper value. "I think it points at some sort of critical thinking we need to do as far as Japanese visitors and how to cater to them."
PacRim has received inquiries from companies asking if poll winners have Japanese menus, how they market themselves to Japanese visitors and for other details.
The company has also been approached by other sectors serving the visitor industry, such as hotels and golf courses, asking for inclusion next time around.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com