The HVCB, which has been selling the Islands to visitors worldwide for years, is seeking a permanent replacement for Tony Vericella, who resigned in July after a state audit ctiticized the agency for its accounting practices and inappropriate use of state money.

"There has been a lot of interest, a lot of applications," said Guerrero.

The HVCB board hired executive search firm Inkinen & Associates to narrow the field to four or five final candidates from which the board will make a selection.

"They are looking for a visionary, a CEO or president with great administrative skills and one that knows our visitor industry well," said Kathryn Inkinen, president of Inkinen & Associates. "Our job is to communicate to obvious and maybe not so obvious candidates, to seek those people out."

Guerrero said the only person he knows for sure is a candidate is Les Enderton, the interim president and chief executive officer who took over after Vericella's departure. "Les will be a candidate and has been doing a good job for us," said Guerrero.

The new HVCB president will be taking on a somewhat reduced role. The HVCB has long held the contract to promote Hawai'i to the world, but the Hawai'i Tourism Authority voted last month to parcel out the $25 million state contract for tourism marketing, with HVCB receiving the largest slice as the marketer for North America.