Ukulele star
to promote
Hawaii in JapanShimabukuro is tapped
to sing praises of the state
to potential visitors
An image change is on the way for Hawaii in the minds of tourists in Europe and Japan, as state tourism officials unveiled the tourism campaign that will take place next year under new marketing agencies.
Ukulele star Jake Shimabukuro will be spokesman in a Hawaii campaign in Japan, to be called "six islands, six surprises," which is meant to tell Japan visitors that there's more to the islands than shopping, said Takashi Ichikura, account supervisor for Dentsu Inc., the largest travel agency in Japan.
Dentsu, hired by the state Hawaii Tourism Authority to take over the Japan marketing role from the local Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, said it picked Shimabukuro because he is new and upcoming in Japan. Shimabukuro, a fourth-generation Japanese American, was a headliner for the 2003 Fuji Rock Festival in Japan this summer, and he played for the Japan Association of Travel Agents' World Travel Fair in Yokohama last month.
The HVCB previously brought in retired sumo star Konishiki to promote the islands in its "Big Relax, Big Hawaii" campaign.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Hawaii should be viewed as a dream destination like other tropical spots, said Amanda Hills, who works for the Mangum Group, Hawaii's tourism marketing representative in Europe.
The Mangum Group plans to focus most on attracting tourism markets in the United Kingdom and Germany, Hawaii's largest sources of European arrivals last year, with a secondary focus on France, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland. Europe still represents a pretty small market for Hawaii, compared with Japan and the mainland United States. U.K. visitors made up 1.3 percent of Hawaii's total visitor days last year, while German tourists made up 0.7 percent.
The HTA approved its 2004 tourism marketing plans last week, in which the state agency will oversee the works of five separate marketing agencies responsible for promoting the islands, where the job was previously handled by one group, the HVCB, a private nonprofit trade group. In June, a critical state audit brought by the Legislature revealed several problems with the bureau's management practices, which led to the resignation of Tony Vericella, its chief executive. Vericella has been replaced by John Monahan, former president of Liberty House.
The HTA has not yet approved a final marketing budget, and is negotiating the tourism marketing contracts, which are to take effect in January. The state plans to reduce its leisure marketing spending to $32 million next year from $33.15 million this year, with the money going into other HTA tourism marketing programs.
Still, the state has aggressive expectations from its marketers, and has targeted 10.5 percent growth in visitor spending next year, to $11.3 billion, with 6.66 million visitor arrivals, an increase of 4.4 percent from this year, according to draft HTA targets.
That would follow a chaotic 2003, in which Japanese visitors stayed home because of SARS, but Hawaii's mainland visitors came in larger numbers despite the war in Iraq. Visitor arrivals this year are expected to be flat compared with last year, bringing an estimated 6.38 million visitors, which failed to meet an HTA target of 6.5 million arrivals.
In the tourism industry's strongest year, 2000, Hawaii had nearly 7 million arrivals.
The HTA expects 2003 visitor spending will hit $10.2 billion, up 2.8 percent from last year, but down from an earlier state forecast of $10.6 billion made by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The HTA expects Hawaii will be visited by about 1.3 million Japanese this year, down from a peak 2.15 million arrivals in 1997. For next year, the HTA has targeted 10.4 percent growth in arrivals from Japan, and a 16.8 percent increase in visitor spending.
The Japanese, which make up 20.6 percent of Hawaii's visitors, are by far the best spenders, with each person spending an average $237 per day here this year. In comparison, U.S. West visitors spend $144.50 per day.
Boosting the Japanese outlook is the relative power of the yen, which has strengthened 10.8 percent since the end of July and was at 108.83 on the dollar yesterday.
However, Japan's retail landscape has changed, and it no longer makes sense to promote Japanese travel to Hawaii for shopping when Japanese shoppers can get the same goods in Tokyo, said Ichikura. Instead, Dentsu wants Japanese visitors to think of Hawaii as an exciting place, with multiple islands. Traditionally, most Japanese visitors flock to Waikiki and the Big Island.
Dentsu plans to focus on attracting families, seniors and weddings. The company is planning to hit Japan with a major television advertising campaign in May and June to gear up for the summer travel season.
Dentsu is setting up a nonprofit organization Hawaii Tourism Japan to take over the role from the HVCB, to prevent consumer confusion. Hawaii Tourism Japan will open a central information booth in Shiodome, a trendy area of Tokyo, said Ichikura, who is Hawaii Tourism Japan's executive director. Meanwhile, Dentsu officials will handle the advertising and other aspects of the campaign.
Marketing Garden Ltd., hired to promote Hawaii in other Asian countries, will focus its efforts on South Korea and China, even though those countries have visa problems, said Michael Merner, chairman for Japan-based Marketing Garden. In China, there's still a huge market for people who can get visas, but the challenge is getting direct flights, which are more convenient for travelers, he said.
China, a country of 1.3 billion people, sent 38,923 visitors to Hawaii in 2002, while South Korea sent 48,174 visitors. The markets each represented less than 1 percent of Hawaii's total visitors days in 2002, but they are expected to hold long-term potential.
The Hawaii visitors bureau, tasked with promoting Hawaii to its largest market, North America, plans to focus efforts on so-called gateway cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle. The visitors bureau plans to focus more on Hawaii's golf and arts-and-culture potential than before.
New surveys have found that mainland golfers have a median annual income of $104,839, and that they travel at least once a year to golf. Hawaii has more than 80 golf courses statewide.
The state HTA has targeted arrivals growth around 9 percent for the U.S. West, U.S. East and Canadian markets next year.
Hawaii Tourism Authority
Dentsu Inc.
Mangum Group
Marketing Garden Ltd.
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
