Unlike Plains, Ga., and Crawford, Texas, small-time southern towns that become tourist stops because they had ties to U.S. presidents, Hawaii has long been a sought-after visitor destination.

When Jimmy Carter became president, he put his hometown of Plains on the map. Similarly, President George W. Bush created a burgeoning tourist market in the little town of Crawford when his private ranch was dubbed the “;Western White House.”; President-elect Barack Obama doesn't have a Hawaii residence, and though he is a son of Hawaii, his ties to the islands are much less defined.

Still, Obama grew up in Honolulu and spent much of his time under the care of his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham. His grandmother, whom he called “;Toot”; - short for tutu (the Hawaii word for grandmother) -passed away on Nov. 2, just two days before her grandson's historic election as president. And, Obama himself has credited his upbringing in the islands with shaping his character and values, saying, “;What's best in me, and what's best in my message, is consistent with the tradition of Hawaii.”;

  However Obama's ties to Hawaii are measured, his impact on isle tourism - especially during one of the darkest times in Hawaii's visitor industry - is worth more than peanuts to the state's lead industry. The public relations power of the national media coverage of Obama body surfing at Sandy Beach, petting dolphins with his children at Sea Life Park and sharing a shave ice with his wife, Michelle, at the North Shore cannot be discounted, especially at a time with Hawaii's visitor industry is working its way through its worst season since the Great Depression.

  “;We'll settle for being the place he loves to come to visit,”; said Ed Hubennette, area vice president of Japan, Hawaii and the South Pacific for Marriott International. “;The Hawaii Tourism Authority couldn't afford to buy that kind of publicity for Hawaii. It's worth millions.”;

Having Obama choose Hawaii as his Christmas and New Year's vacation destination is probably the best thing to happen in the state since 1950s superstar Arthur Godfrey hosted one of his variety shows from Hawaii opening the door to middle-class travel to Hawaii, Hubennette said.

“;If Obama made this his western White House, it would be great for us,”; said Barry Wallace, executive vice president of hospitality services for Outrigger Enterprises Group. ”;The more he puts us on national TV and is covered doing things that visitors love to do, the better it is for Hawaii's visitor industry.”;

During Obama's most recent vacation, the national media was camped out at the Westin Moana Surfrider in Waikiki.

“;We saw the coverage. The reporters have been next to our beach chairs all week. It's probably leading the news back home in California,”; said Costa Harbilas, who is vacationing at the Westin with his wife and children.

  As long as Obama continues to vacation in Hawaii, the state will enjoy additional notoriety as the ultimate place of relaxation where the U.S. president comes to rinse off the rigors of his job in Hawaii's healing waters, Hubennette said.

“;We hope he comes back often and we'll continue to see vacation coverage by every major news station,”; he said. “;Although Hawaii already has a magic tourism brand, having President-elect Obama return to visit will help keep it top of mind.”;

Some island hot spots already are seeing renewed tourism activity as a result of Obama's visits in August, October and his most recent vacation, which took place from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1.

The Luana Hills Golf Course, which is nestled between Mount Olomana and the Koolau range, saw increased interest in its Pete Dye-designed course as a result of Obama's decision to play it in August, said Darin Sumimoto, general manager of the Luana Hills Golf Course.

“;The day after he played we had visits from tour companies who wanted to add stops on their tours,”; Sumimoto said. “;They were asking what he ate and drank and buying the same things to try.”;

Phone calls came in from all over the world, Sumimoto said.

“;They wanted to know about his visit and how well he played,”; he said. “;The impact of his visit is huge. It's great awareness for our golf course and for Hawaii in general.”;

While it is difficult to gauge Obama's direct impact on tee times at Luana Hills, there is no doubt that his visit helped build more awareness of the course, Sumimoto said.

“;When people come up and say that (Obama) likes your golf course, you're somebody in the industry,”; he said. “;It's huge to have that kind of name recognition.”;

  Many Hawaii businesses have taken strides to capitalize on Obama's lure.

Discover Hawaii Tours, which has offered tours since 1995, added an Obama component to its tour after his victory, said James Owen, president of Discover Hawaii Tours.

While interest on Wednesday's tour was keen, Owen said not all tour participants have been enthusiastic.

“;We had some visitors from Alaska; they weren't thrilled to hear about Obama,”; Owen said.

Though 14-year-old Allen Allen of Southern California defines himself as a Republican, he was more tolerant than the Alaska contingent.

“;It's really interesting to be able to see where our future president was raised,”; Allen said. “;It shows that any person can rise up from even the toughest hardships. That's inspiring.”;

Allen, who has been invited to attend the upcoming inauguration with other schoolchildren and one day wants to run for president himself, said that he fully supports Obama's presidency and is interested in seeing Hawaii from his perspective.

Obama's ties to Hawaii definitely will boost local tourism, said Candice Catucci, of Queen's New York, who was on the Obama portion of the tour with Allen.

“;I'm pretty sure that (Obama) will be used as a tool for tourism. He's so popular,”; said Catucci, who added that Obama was the first presidential candidate that inspired her to go to the polls.

Aqua Hotels & Resorts is celebrating Obama's victory with the “;Obama-rama”; package, which includes discount room rates, a rental car, and a copy of the book, “;The Dream Begins - How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama”; by veteran Hawaii authors Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris.

“;The people of Hawaii are very proud of Barack Obama's island heritage and so are we,”; said Elizabeth Churchill, Aqua's vice president of sales and marketing. “;Growing up and attending school on Oahu helped shape Obama into the fine leader he is today and we've developed a special package that shares insights on what being raised in a multicultural society is really all about.”;

  The iconic Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, has timed its reopening to coincide with the same day that Obama is sworn into office. The Royal Hawaiian and the Hawaii Democratic Party have partnered to offer the Presidential Package which includes VIP tickets to the official Aloha Inauguration Ball on Jan. 20 in the Monarch Room, four nights in a garden- room guest room and a bottle of pink champagne. Rates start at $1,800 per couple.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau has created a special micro site GoHawaii. com/Obama that highlights some of the significant places tied to Obama's earlier days in Hawaii and some of the places that he has visited on subsequent vacations.

“;It's a list that visitors can easily duplicate if they are interested to see what our next president enjoys about Hawaii and the rental car allows them to explore the island at their leisure,”; Churchill said.

Locally based writer Rob Kay has launched www. obamasneighborhood.com, the first Web site to focus exclusively on how Hawaii influenced Obama.

Kay said that the Web site, which includes sections on where Obama lived in Hawaii, his Punahou years, information on his lower Makiki neighborhood, and a tourism section that visits places on Oahu that he has mentioned in articles and speeches, has solicited e-mails from all over the world.

  “;There Has been a great deal of interest,”; Kay said. “;People in Hawaii have intuitively understood that Barack Obama is a local boy and that his modus operandi has been hugely impacted by the fact that he lived here.”;

If Hawaii's state tourism officials, city and county employees, and private businesses make a concerted effort to organize their Obama-related tourism efforts, Hawaii could see visitor-industry gains, he said.

“;If you are to believe the press in Chicago, there is a lot of interest over there, and one would presume that given that this is the birth place of our president-elect, there would be interest here,”; Kay said. “;But we need to ensure that there is access to these sites and that visitors have ample parking.”;

Franko's Maps will release Franko's Obama's Oahu Guide Map on Tuesday. The map, available at select Hawaii locations and online at www. obamahawaiimap.com/, lists attractions that celebrate Obama's early life.

“;We decided to begin offering the map because there is a great deal of interest and curiosity about him,”; said Peter Cannon, an owner of Franko's Maps. “;We understand that Punahou, where he attended school, has people walking across their campus in the middle of the day. He has the potential to bring a new kind of notoriety to Hawaii.”;

Interest in Obama's ties to Hawaii isn't limited to visitors from the U.S., said Jason “;C.J.”; Chen, founder of www. Hawaii-Day.com ,which works with companies to bring their message to the China market.

“;The Chinese are very interested in Obama and his position on human rights,”; Chen said. “;Many tour companies are starting to build Obama tours with stops in Hawaii, Washington D.C., and Chicago.”;

Likewise, Hawaii's Japan tour operators also are researching Obama's significance in Hawaii's tourism market, said Akio Hoshino, senior vice president for Jalpak International Hawaii.

“;Obama tours are not popular yet, but I think that soon most of the Japanese tour agents will start offering that option,”; Hoshino said.

There will be more demand for Obama tours from the Japanese tour companies in April when they begin offering their new schedules, he said.