Posted on: Monday, May 23, 2005

EDITORIAL
Business trip to Asia holds great promise

Gov. Linda Lingle's plan to lead a Hawai'i contingent of government and business leaders on a trip to China and South Korea to strengthen historic business and cultural ties is a wise move that should pay off in healthy dividends.

The 10-day trip in June will pair state officials with executives from more than 40 local businesses and smartly extends beyond tourism to include laying the groundwork for other business, educational and cultural relationships.

The estimated tab for taxpayers is $151,000, which covers Lingle, University of Hawai'i Interim President David McClain and 25 other state officials and lawmakers. Private industry and business- people are picking up the tab for their expenses.

Building bridges with China and South Korea now is clearly the way to go as we look for ways to broaden our tourism base and diversify our economy. And Hawai'i is wise to position itself ahead of the development curve: Lingle will formally open a business and tourism bureau while in Beijing, becoming only the second U.S. governor to establish a state presence in China. Nevada is the first.

Now the onus is on the public and private sectors to work together to ensure we're ready for new arrivals from South Korea and China as well as potential business opportunities. A good start would be to make it easier for these visitors to choose Hawai'i for their holidays, a choice made difficult by current and proposed visa restrictions. Although tensions with North Korea have complicated national security issues where South Korean tourists are concerned, the state must persist in pressing for some form of visa waiver if it hopes to attract vacationers.

With the hot housing market feeding a recent trend toward converting hotel rooms to condominiums, the hotel industry must make sure it has the capacity to accommodate a new tourism sector.

And conversations about Asia-Hawai'i commerce must generate ideas about investment incentives for lawmakers to consider. What would these businesses like to see in the Isles before they forge new connections? Adding such questions to the already full plate of economic improvement measures left over from the last session means the State Capitol should be hopping when its doors reopen in January.