Tourist office’s aloha ashtrays raise a stink

STORY SUMMARY »

A marketing campaign aimed at stemming the decline in Japanese tourism to Hawaii is taking an unusual -- and, in some quarters, controversial -- approach: ashtrays.

The campaign seeks to correct misconceptions among Japanese tourists that you can't smoke anywhere in Hawaii.

"Japanese believe that Hawaii is smoke-free, and Hawaii bookings, especially for the group market, have suffered," said Yumi Ozaki, local director for Hawaii Tourism Japan, which has the state contract to market Hawaii travel in Japan.

But the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii and the Hawaii Smoker's Alliance -- two often diametrically opposed groups -- are united in their criticism of the strategy.

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Japanese tourists are getting this portable ashtray kit, shown yesterday by Hawaii Tourism Japan Executive Director Takeshi Ichikura, explaining Hawaii's smoking laws.

By Allison Schaefers
aschaefers@starbulletin.com

Aloha, welcome to Hawaii, here's an ashtray.

A marketing campaign to bring Japanese tourists back to Hawaii seeks to boost declines by luring tourists with shiny, portable ashtrays. The state-backed campaign, which began in June, seeks to correct misconceptions among Japanese tourists that you can't smoke at all in Hawaii.

The ashtray campaign, which is called Smoking with Aloha, is an attempt by HTJ to educate the public about the actual definition of the law.

The portable ashtrays, which are white on the outside and silver inside, are branded with a flower logo and the words "Keep Hawaii Clean." HTJ said it has had about 40,000 of the ashtrays made at a cost of about $1 each.

Since Hawaii adopted a more restrictive law on smoking late last year, travel industry professionals and tourists have blamed the restrictions in part for the depressed Japan visitor market. While the drop cannot be blamed entirely on the new smoking policy, many Japanese smokers, especially those on reward trips, and meeting planners have complained. Still, nonsmoking Japanese visitors -- a slight majority in one recent survey -- have said they love the new law.

The Smoke-Free Hawaii law, which went into effect in December, requires clear designation of areas where smoking is permitted, and bans smoking within 20 feet of doorways, windows and ventilation intakes in order to prevent secondhand smoke drifting into enclosed areas.

While many locations have adopted smoking restrictions, Hawaii's use of the term "smoke-free" might be sending a false message that this state is tougher on smokers than other destinations, said Dave Erdman, president of PacRim Marketing, a firm specializing in Asian markets.

Japan tourists have been confused about Hawaii's smoking legislation since an inaccurate news story in Japan on the topic last year, said state Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert.

It is too soon to tell if the ashtrays, being disseminated mainly via Japanese travel agents and wholesalers to smoking clients, will have a positive impact on Japanese tourism, she said.

However, Kathy Harty, interim president of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii, said encouraging Japanese tourists to come to Hawaii and smoke seems to be counterintuitive.

"We shouldn't give the message that aloha means smoking," she said. "It's very unfortunate that they chose to go that route. Why don't they give nonsmokers who chose to come here a lei? This is not really sending a message that Hawaii is concerned about good health."

Even some smokers have said that they are frustrated with HTJ's new campaign.

"It's like putting a Band-Aid on somebody that just got hit by a grenade," said Jolyn Tenn, president of Hawaii Smokers Alliance. If Japanese smokers are frustrated by Hawaii's vigilant anti-smoking stance, giving them a portable ashtray will not fix the problem, Tenn said.

"It's not going to get better until the state suspends this legislation and makes reasonable laws," she said.