With fuel prices soaring and visitor numbers on the decline, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and Japan Airlines are teaming up to lure Japanese hula lovers to Hawai'i.

JAL Hula Week 2008 features a series of hula and Hawaiian cultural events offered to Japan Airlines passengers free of charge.

The program, which runs through July 20, has already attracted more than 2,000 Japanese visitors, who registered online.

"We are already booked full," said Eiichi Abe, event coordinator for Japan Airlines, who helped design the program to attract more Japanese tourists to the Islands.

Registered customers will participate in hula sessions and Hawaiian craft workshops, including an ipu-making lesson. Those events are open only to those who have purchased a Japan Airlines ticket, Abe said.

In addition, Japan Airlines customers are also invited to join various public events, including Ho'olaule'a, a hula show sponsored by Hawai'i Tourism Japan, HTA's division that focuses on the Japan market. Audience members are invited to join the dancing at Ho'olaule'a, which will be performed almost every day throughout the duration of the program by a local halau at the Waikiki Beach Walk.

Another public event being targeted at Japanese visitors is the Hula Ho'olauna Aloha, featuring halau from Japan and Hawai'i. The event kicks off with an exhibition July 12 at Ala Moana Centerstage, followed by a hula competition July 13 at the Waikiki Shell.

The Hula Week is part of a continuing marketing campaign to combat what has been a steady decline in visitors from Japan over the past several years. Arrivals from Japan were down 8.3 percent through the first five months of this year, compared with the same period a year earlier. That comes on the heels of a 3.5 percent decline in 2007 and a 10.2 percent decline in 2006, according to figures compiled by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

In addition, DBEDT is forecasting the number of airline seats from Japan to Honolulu to decline by 16.6 percent during the July-to-September period, compared with the same period a year earlier

A major reason more Japanese travelers aren't making the 4,000 mile trip from Japan to Honolulu is the price of airline tickets, which have been driven up by rising fuel surcharges. Most airlines have instituted such surcharges to help them cover the cost of rising jet fuel.

On July 1, Japan Airline will increase the fuel surcharge placed on all international tickets for the third time this year. The surcharge for tickets from Japan to Hawai'i will rise to $264 from $189 per ticket.

In the face of rising fuel costs, Japan Airlines is looking for new ways to motivate people to travel internationally, Abe said.

The company has enhanced its marketing campaign for international business travel to destinations in China, New York and London.

Promotions for Hawai'i are also high on the company's agenda, Abe said.

"Of course we want to keep Hawai'i because it has the biggest potential for vacation travel," he said.

Programs like JAL Hula Week could be an answer to declining numbers in visitors Hawai'i, Abe said.

The program is a departure from traditional tourist-friendly packages, which include visits to beaches, scenic spots and shopping malls. Japan Airlines wanted to offer passengers an opportunity to participate in activities that most travel packages don't include, Abe said.

"Now there is so much information about the Hawaiian culture in Japan, and some Japanese people are very interested in it," he said. With the JAL Hula Week program, JAL hoped to tap into this segment of the Japanese population and offer them a bit of "true, authentic Hawaiian culture," he said.

The airline will hold another program in November, and has similar programs planned for next year.