Posted on: Saturday, December 13, 2003
Visitors bureau staff trimmed
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Starting Jan. 1, the HVCB no longer will be in charge of promoting Hawai'i to the travel market in Europe and Asia. But it will still handle U.S. marketing, such as at this travel-agent convention in Waikiki last year.
Eugene Tanner• The Honolulu Advertiser |
Most of the workers were assigned to HVCB's Japan department and the rest in the developing international markets department, said HVCB President John Monahan. Many have already left.
"We've been winding (the departments) down for the last several months," Monahan said.
HVCB, the agency that has sold the Islands to visitors for decades, learned in July that it had lost all of its international leisure tourism marketing work when its contract with the Hawai'i Tourism Authority was cut back.
Starting Jan. 1, HVCB no longer will promote Hawai'i except in North America and for corporate meetings. North America remains the largest part of the state's promotional effort.
Some former HVCB employees are working for new contractors selected by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority to promote Hawai'i in Europe, Oceania, Japan and the rest of Asia.
Monahan was named president in October replacing Tony Vericella, who resigned in July after a state audit criticized the agency for its accounting practices and inappropriate use of state money.
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JOHN MONAHAN
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By the time it all ends, HVCB will go from nearly 100 employees to fewer than 80, including the island chapters, Monahan said.
"We've got some people working very hard," Monahan said. "We're going to be meeting with our employees in the very near future to discuss the reorganization plans and their status."
HVCB will also need to cope with fewer dollars as its budget for North America marketing shrinks from $21.6 million this year to about $20.8 million next year. Its contract for marketing corporate meetings and incentives around the world will be about $2 million, similar to this year.
"We need to make every dollar work harder than ever before," Monahan said.
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JAY TALWAR
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In other developments, the HVCB named Jay Talwar as vice president of marketing yesterday.
Talwar is director of account service at HVCB's advertising agency Milici Valenti Ng Pack and has led its HVCB account team for four years.
Talwar starts his new job Jan. 1, filling a position left vacant after David Preece left HVCB in April.
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.
