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Northern Exposure
The North Shore hopes to
establish itself as a destination
apart from the rest of Oahu
A steady stream of rental cars and tour buses wind their way along Kamehameha Highway nearly every day as tourists escape Waikiki to steal glimpses of the North Shore countryside.
Some stop to eat and pick up souvenirs along the way, then head back to their South Shore hotel rooms. The out-and-back pilgrimage is prompting a business hui to figure out how to keep more tourist dollars on the North Shore.
"The North Shore is actually experiencing a major impact by visitors," said Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison. "The challenge is that they are not seeing the economic reward to offset the impact because they aren't putting enough heads on beds."
The North Shore Destination Association, organized about nine months ago by the long-struggling Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, the Polynesian Cultural Center and other private businesses, associations and marketing groups, seeks to brand the area as its own destination separate from Waikiki and urban Honolulu.
"The dynamic is more country on the North Shore than in Waikiki or Honolulu," said Abid Butt, vice president and general manager of Turtle Bay, the North Shore's only full-service hotel. "We have a totally different cachet similar to the neighbor island experience."
Chrystal Jameson gives an ocean front lomi lomi massage to a guest at Turtle Bay. The resort is among businesses trying to give the North Shore its own identity as a vacation destination.
While tourism has grown on the North Shore, businesses and residents don't reap the full benefit because many visitors still see the region as a day trip rather than a destination.
"We already know (a trip to the North Shore) is a 'must do' for many people visiting the island of Oahu," said Alfred Grace, vice president of sales and marketing at the Polynesian Cultural Center, whose attendance has grown significantly since 2003 and is expected to set a record this year.
"What we hope to see, and what we are working toward, is getting visitors to stay longer on the North Shore and/or return more often during their vacations," Grace said. "By creating a sustained awareness of all the wonderful and unique experiences available on the North Shore, we think we can do this."
The businesses have applied for nonprofit status and pooled their money to bankroll a visitor Web site, which premiers shortly. They are also designing a marketing campaign to run in tandem with the Oahu Visitors Bureau, which recently has favored ad concepts designed to stem the tide of visitor losses. While Oahu's visitor numbers were strong last year, the island has lost travelers to the neighbor islands or more exotic destinations, Wienert said.
"Waikiki has critical mass, which is good and bad," Butt said. "Visitors know the product, but some have moved away in search of a more island experience."
Creating a destination within a destination gives tourists another reason to visit or stay on Oahu, Wienert said, adding it will also bring business and development to the North Shore.
A similar marketing concept put Maui on the map, Wienert said. The Valley Isle's popularity multiplied once tourists began associating both Kaanapali and Wailea with the destination.
"They are miles ahead of where we were in positioning when we created Kaanapali and Wailea," said Wienert, a former chief of the Maui Visitors Bureau. "I actually think the main goal is just getting the North Shore known, and the rest will fall into place. They already have all kinds of great little shops and restaurants. There's also horseback riding, golf and a spa."
The timing is right to make the destination market concept work, said Annette and Ron Thompson, who run Hawaii Surf and Sand Vacations, which rents out more than 400 vacation rentals across the islands, including 100 on the North Shore.
"The North Shore is definitely growing more popular," said Annette Thompson. "Last year, we did double the business and this year we've already done about six months' worth of business in the first two months."
The Thompsons said they've been able to piggy-back off the aggressive marketing campaigns of other large businesses in the region, like Turtle Bay and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
"All the money that they've been spending probably has impacted our business," Ron Thompson said, adding that business will continue to improve as more satisfied tourists take the message of their North Shore experiences home with them.
The challenge for the destination will be how to preserve the region's eclectic experience which is built around country businesses, fruit stands and artists' colonies, Wienert said.
"It's three-quarters of the appeal," she said.
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