Posted on: Monday, August 25, 2003

EDITORIAL
HVCB chief must stand up to pressure

In its search for a new president, the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau says it is looking for a "visionary" who knows the visitor industry and how to sell it.

And that's fine, as far as it goes.

But experience has shown that something else will be needed: the backbone to stand up to the forces that tend to push and pull the marketing agency as it goes about its job.

The agency needs a new chief after former president Tony Vericella stepped down in the face of complaints about inappropriate use of HVCB resources.

But a deeper issue was at play. The HVCB is caught between two "cultures," if you will, that seek to control its activities.

The first culture is the visitor industry, which sincerely feels the job of the bureau is to promote the interests of that industry, the hotels, visitor attractions and other activities that make money from our visitors.

The second culture is the state, which has dramatically stepped up its support for tourism marketing through appropriations to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

While both sides share goals, they are not marching strictly to the same drum. The visitor industry is focused on keeping, or even expanding, its share of the international travel market.

The state has a broader goal of increasing travel and interest in Hawai'i, not only for tourism, but for other areas, including business, trade and education. It is also a jealous watchdog of the tax dollars that flow into the bureau.

Each side tends to put pressure on the HVCB to pursue its particular vision.

What is needed is an HVCB that serves not its internal constituents but the greater needs of Hawai'i and its economy. That requires a savvy marketer who has the backbone to stand up to political pressure as well as pressure from the established visitor industry.