Tourism campaign spelled out

By Michele Kayal
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau will spend at least $15 million between now and March in an attempt to jump-start the state's tourism industry.

The bureau's six-month emergency marketing plan will put $8 million into the top 20 U.S. and Canadian markets — $5 million in the fourth quarter of this year, and $3 million in the first quarter of next year.

In Japan, the bureau will spend $7 million in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. It will spend $3 million in the fourth quarter and $4 million in the first quarter of next year.

The campaigns, which highlight healing and rejuvenation, will target frequent fliers, families, seniors, veterans, the honeymoon and wedding market, and U.S. meeting planners from economically sound industries.

Hawai'i's No. 1 industry has been skidding since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Total arrivals are down more than 20 percent in November, with the Japanese market down more than 50 percent. A 20 percent drop in arrivals for the fourth quarter could result in more than 15,000 lost jobs, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and roughly $1 billion in lost spending.

The bureau's emergency marketing plan, financed with a $10 million special allocation by the Legislature and $5 million from shifts in the budgets of the bureau and the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, is intended to drive up demand between now and March. The bureau's ultimate goal is to have 2002 numbers even with 2001 numbers by the end of June.

Another $5 million in cooperative marketing is expected from private companies.

The North American campaign will use both consumer and travel trade publications to get the message across. The biggest chunk of money — $3.3 million — will go toward newspaper advertising in the fourth quarter. The second biggest expense — $750,000 — will go toward online marketing efforts. No television advertising will be used until the first quarter of next year.

A centerpiece of the Japan effort is the "Super Value Hawaii" campaign, a cooperative effort with Japanese wholesalers that offers specially priced packages to Hawai'i. Newspaper advertising will be the largest expense in Japan as well, coming in at $1.3 million in the fourth quarter. A personal invitation to Japanese visitors also was extended last month by Gov. Ben Cayetano, who led a delegation of tourism executives to stimulate demand in that market.

All visitors will be eligible for the bureau's "Hawaii Value Pass" program, which includes discounts and other offers at 1,200 retailers and attractions throughout the state. Visitors will also receive a "Mahalo" package, which includes a letter from the governor and "Live Aloha" materials.

Reach Michele Kayal at mkayal@honoluluadvertiser.com