Small steps help Hawaii save its place in China tourism

THE ISSUE Hawaii and China have signed an agreement for cooperation on tourism.

IN signing a two-page document with officials from China, Hawaii hopes to open further that country's doors to a tourism market with huge potential for the state. The cooperative memorandum Governor Lingle put her pen to is a non-binding agreement that she believes eventually will boost the number of travelers from China while offering Hawaii's expertise to its tourism industry.

Though there remain numerous barriers that are beyond Hawaii's authority to remove, the agreement and other initiatives the state has taken at least crack open the gates to a lucrative Chinese market.

Hawaii drew 34,216 Chinese tourists in 2004, according to the Associated Press. That's just a small portion of the estimated 27 million Chinese who traveled overseas that year. By comparison, Hawaii received 1.48 million tourists from Japan in 2004, but that segment has weakened over the years.

Hawaii is eager to capture more eastbound travelers and China is the world's largest source for tourism, expected to reach 115 million by 2020.

However, without China granting the United States "approved destination status," the state will remain at a clear disadvantage to other countries that have won that designation.

China and the United States are at odds on a number of issues, including currency, trade, migration and security. These have prevented the United States from being placed on Beijing's list of sanctioned travel locations that now includes 90 countries.

In addition, Chinese visitors face formidable bureaucratic obstacles in obtaining visas, with some having to wait at least six weeks for applications to be processed. Though Hawaii opened an office in Beijing last year to attract businesses and tourism, diplomatic unease between the United States and China continues to hinder progress.

Lingle and an official for the China National Tourism Administration signed the agreement during a stopover here by a Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier Wu Yi, that is headed to Washington for bilateral trade talks. Wu will be discussing economic issues in advance of a trip later this month by Chinese President Hu Jintao to meet with President Bush.

Hawaii's specific interests aren't likely to be on the agenda. However, the broader stakes for the U.S. tourism industry should not be ignored.

Other countries, particularly in Europe, have seen huge increases in Chinese visitors who have become increasingly prosperous and thirsty for travel. Through small undertakings, state officials are wisely positioning Hawaii to benefit when travel barriers are lifted.