Show travel agents the best of Hawai'i
Never mind Walt Disney movies and TV shows featuring buff lifeguards on the North Shore. If you really want to advertise Hawai'i as a great vacation destination, flaunt the best of the Islands to a few thousand travel agents.
Once they've experienced firsthand what Hawai'i has to offer, they're bound to rave about the Islands to their customers and friends.
At least that's one of the bonuses of hosting the 72nd World Travel Congress in the Islands. Fortunately for Hawai'i, the American Society of Travel Agents has decided to hold its annual conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center in November. The last one was held in Hawai'i in 1981, a more prosperous time in the Islands.
But times have changed, and as we welcome the delegates, we also hope their visit will result in a much-needed boost in Hawai'i.
About 1,500 travel agents, exhibitors and distributors have already registered, and state tourism officials expect at least twice that many will attend the event.
The Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau and private businesses plan to shell out up to $2 million worth of perks as they play host to the delegates. Freebies and discounted items include flights, hotel rooms and tours. Activities include a mule ride on Moloka'i, a snorkel cruise of Kauai'i's Pali Coast and a round of golf on Lana'i.
By most indications, it looks like a sound investment. Congress organizers estimate that the city hosting the event typically sees a 10 to 25 percent increase in visitor spending within a year and a half after the event. For Hawai'i, that would mean a return of some $2 billion.
Meanwhile, let's not forget that times are also tough for travel agents, who have to compete with Web-based agencies such as Expedia Inc. and Sabre Holdings Corp.'s Travelocity. Plus, many airlines are cutting or dropping base commissions to travel agents.
But let's also not forget that the bulk of travel bookings are still made by travel agents. They're not extinct by a long shot. So let's show them the best we have to offer because nothing gets results faster than word-of-mouth advertising.
