HAWAI ‘ I
HAWAI ‘ I
Right : Hawaii
Convention Centre . Below : Hawai ‘ i ’ s culinary offering .
All images courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority .
Island s escape
As visitor numbers to Hawai ‘ i continue to rise , the state is encouraging business and leisure travellers to look beyond Oahu and explore more of the six islands on offer , writes Brittney Levinson .
In the first half of this year , Hawai ‘ i saw a 23.7 per cent increase in business tourism arrivals and a significant jump in the number of incentive programs being held on the islands .
“ Hawai ‘ i has an amazing climate , it ’ s secure , it ’ s got all the infrastructure that ’ s needed and it can put on some amazing events and activities in amazing locations ,” says Hawai ‘ i Tourism Oceania country manager Australia , Kerri Anderson .
Anderson says competitively priced airfares have helped to bring more groups in .
“ There ’ s so much competition on the trans- Pacific routes that airfares to Hawai ‘ i are as cheap as they ’ ve ever been ,” she says .
Hawaiian Airlines national business development manager , Australia , Joyce Weir says with daily services out of Sydney and flights from Brisbane three times a week , the airline provides seamless flight options for groups .
“ Generally when you have a conference or event in an international port , you have guests that fly from right around Australia ,” Weir said .
“ The good thing about Hawaiian [ Airlines ] is that we depart in the evening . So people can fly in [ to Sydney or Brisbane ] from all over Australian and catch a flight to Hawai ‘ i that evening .”
Weir says the airline works closely with groups to ensure a “ win-win situation for everyone ”.
“ The airline staff want you to feel that you ’ re part of their ‘ ohana – which is the Hawai ‘ ian word for family – and the staff really do make you feel that way when you ’ re on board ,” she says .
Last year almost 340,000 Australians visited Hawai ‘ i and visitor numbers are already up 2.8 per cent across the board for the first half of this year .
Hotels are feeling the surge , with one in particular smashing records over the last few months and many undergoing refurbishments to cater for the growing numbers .
Honolulu ’ s Ala Moana Hotel is achieving record numbers in both occupancy and averagedaily-rate and recently saw double-digit revenue per available room growth , which is more than double the market growth being experienced at other properties on Oahu .
On Hawai ‘ i Island , the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel recently unveiled a 325sqm function space , the Kauna ‘ oa Ballroom , as part of its US $ 4.5 million transformation .
On Oahu , DoubleTree by Hilton Alana Waikiki unveiled its remodelled function space earlier this year , meanwhile the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani recently underwent a US $ 5 million enhancement project to refresh 280 guestrooms .
In the pipeline is a US $ 115 million redevelopment at Pacific Beach Hotel Waikiki
18 Convention & Incentive Marketing , Issue 7 , 2016 www . cimmagazine . com