Hawaii is going on sale for traveling consumers on Sunday with the launch of a $4.5 million marketing campaign advertising travel packages at below 2007 prices.

As part of the newest campaign, “;Discover More of Hawaii for Less than You Imagined,”; the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau will use additional funds from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and travel industry partners to target avid travelers from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, Denver, Dallas and New York. Marketing research has shown that consumers from these cities are the most likely to book vacations and that there is ample airlift available to them, said Jay Talwar, HVCB's senior vice president of marketing.

“;Even with the challenges of the current economy, our research shows that there is incredible desire to visit Hawaii,”; Talwar said “;We are targeting a subset of our historical target audience that typically takes multiple vacations each year and is more likely and able to visit Hawaii in the short term.”;

The multimedia campaign, which is part of the additional $12.5 million or so that has been pumped into the state's flailing tourism industry since May, will direct consumers to a new HVCB Web site - GoHawaii.com/Value, which lists packages at deeply discounted prices. HVCB also will utilize social media resources such as twitter and various blog sites to get the word out.

“;These packages are good for travelers who may have been deferring a vacation to Hawaii because of concerns about the economy,”; said John Monahan, HVCB president and chief executive, who along with Talwar will meet with major media in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. from Monday through Oct. 15.

Since the economy went into a slump, travel to Hawaii - long considered a pricey destination - is down, Monahan said.

“;We started seeing it drop last July along with the subprime crisis,”; he said. “;When consumer spending gets sick, we get sick.”;

The value-based campaign, which will run through early December, is designed to generate vacation bookings through the first quarter of 2009, Monahan said.

“;Travel interest in Hawaii remains high and this is a perfectly timed innovation to show travelers that there are some tremendous vacation values available, said Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays LLC, Hawaii's largest wholesaler.

Pleasant Holidays is participating in the new effort along with other wholesalers such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, All About HAWAII, US Airways Vacations, Blue Sky Tours, LibGO Travel, Travel Impressions, Classic Vacations, MLT Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Apple Vacations, United Vacations and American Airlines Vacations.

Participating wholesalers had to guarantee that they would offer vacation packages at lower than 2007 prices to participate in the marketing campaign, Talwar said.

“;In many of cases, consumers will pay hundreds of dollars less for a typical seven-night stay,”; he said. “;The high-water savings mark is probably around $1,100.”;

Yesterday, Pleasant Holidays and HVCB announced that Hawaii-bound travelers could save up to $500 on packages and those departing from Los Angeles and San Francisco could take an additional 50 percent off companion fares on select flights through Feb. 28. The package deal, which starts Sunday, will run through Dec. 31. Minimum nights and some other restrictions apply.

“;There is a perception that Hawaii vacations and airfares are too expensive,”; Richards said. “;This promotion makes these vacations even more affordable, allowing travelers to save up to $500 for two people. Travelers from Los Angeles and San Francisco can save even more.”;