Posted on: Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Travel to U.S. West pushed

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pleasant Holidays, the largest U.S. tour operator to Hawai'i, is launching a new program for local residents who want to travel to the western United States.

Beginning Friday Pleasant Holidays will offer travel packages from Hawai'i to 13 cities in California, the Pacific Northwest, Nevada and Arizona. It's a new concept for the company, which has focused heavily on Mainland travelers to Hawai'i.

"We were looking for a new product to offer, and in all of our market research we saw Mainland travel was increasing at just about the same rate as the interisland travel was decreasing," said Duke Ah Moo, Pleasant Holidays staff vice president in Hawai'i. "So we saw that there was an opportunity there."

The company discontinued its interisland business aimed at residents under its Pleasant Island Holidays brand last fall, he said. Interisland travel has been declining in recent years for several reasons, including an increase in ticket prices; increase of Mainland and foreign carriers flying direct routes to the Neighbor Islands; the growing sophistication of Neighbor Island medical care; and the growth of big-box retailers on the Neighbor Islands.

"This is kind of a business shift for us," Ah Moo said. "We just recognize that we have to change with the times."

The program, called Pleasant Mainland USA Holidays, covers more than 70 hotels, six airlines, two car rental companies and optional tours and attractions. California destinations include Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose and Napa Valley. The program also includes packages to Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Las Vegas; Reno, Nev.; Phoenix; and Tucson, Ariz.

Ah Moo said the company plans to offer travel packages to eastern U.S. cities, including New York; Boston; Chicago; and Orlando, Fla., later this year.

As an introductory incentive, Pleasant Holidays said it will offer free companion airfare to Los Angeles or San Francisco for travel through May 31. The company did not say how many tickets would be offered at this special rate.

For more, call (888) 434-3232 or log on to PleasantHolidays.com.