Visitor industry gathering to go global this year

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is broadening its annual Hawaii Tourism Conference into a weeklong international gathering that draws visitor industry attendees from across the globe.

Called “Transforming Tourism Together,” the conference, which takes place Sept. 26-30, is being marketed as a global travel selling tool and networking event where the best minds in tourism can share new ideas. HTA has set its sights on 2,500 attendees, up from a record 1,200 last year, said HTA President and CEO George Szigeti.

“The conference used to be very Oahu-centric, but we want it to be much more global. We want this event to showcase the Hawai‘i Convention Center and put heads on beds,” said Szigeti.

“Because of Hawaii’s geographic advantage, we think the conference will appeal to attendees that want to connect with North America and Asia,” he said.

Formed in 1998, HTA manages the state’s tourism marketing initiative and supports Hawaii’s leading industry and largest employer. Earlier this week HTA announced that Hawaii’s visitor industry had achieved its best midyear performance ever, putting it on pace to achieve its fifth consecutive record-setting year.

For the first half of 2016, total visitor arrivals to the state increased 3.3 percent to 4.42 million visitors, while visitor expenditures rose 1.6 percent to $7.7 billion. If the results continue, the state’s visitor industry will surpass 2015, when a record 8.65 million visitors spent a record $15.2 billion.

Sponsorship is $500 for an expo booth that allows companies to showcase their products.

HTA will roll out a new website and a virtual reality tool that will put Hawaii at the forefront of destinations that are using technology to promote travel, said Leslie Dance, who joined HTA in January as its vice president of marketing and product development.

Dance, who comes from a high-tech background that includes stints at Eastman Kodak and Motorola Mobile Device Business, said HTA has put together a virtual-reality storytelling experience for Hawaii’s four major islands.

“You start off with a Google Earth view. You are parasailing and can land on the island of your choice,” Dance said. “It’s very interactive. No other destination has approached virtual reality in the way we will do it through storytelling.”

Dance said virtual-reality users can catch a wave in Waikiki, visit a hula halau on the lava fields of Hawaii island, take a catamaran sail off Kauai’s Napali Coast and visit a waterfall on Maui’s road to Hana.

“It will be a great education tool to take to trade shows,” she said.

Also, a new multitrack format and conference app will allow attendees to customize their schedules, participate in live audience polling and sign up for one-on-one networking opportunities, Dance said.

“We’re moving away from having lots of ‘talking heads’ on panels and instead are offering moderated interactive sessions that encourage the audience to collaborate on topics important to their businesses,” Szigeti said.

Szigeti said a major conference topic will be how the visitor industry can stay ahead of the technology curve. The industry is changing rapidly as social media and new online companies like Airbnb and Uber have revolutionized the accommodations and transportation industries, he said.

“We have to figure out how to adapt,” he said.

Szigeti said marketing to millennials, whose population has surpassed that of baby boomers, also will be a hot topic.

“We know they want authenticity,” he said. “We are working to show them that every island offers its own unique experiences.”

Many of these travelers gravitate to Hawaii’s growing pool of alternate accommodations, which will be on the agenda, too.

“We have to figure out how to register alternative accommodations. We have to certify them and make sure they pay their fair share of taxes,” he said. “We need a way to ensure that all visitors are getting a quality experience and have access to updated safety information.”

Encouraging U.S. travelers to take vacation time is another recent challenge, Szigeti said. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that 428 million vacation days go unused by U.S. workers each year, he said.

“When technology took off, vacations started going down. People don’t want to come back to massive workloads,” he said. “Tracks like that will open eyes to the challenges that our visitor industry faces.”

Szigeti said pre-conference familiarization tours of the neighbor islands, geared to promoting tourism opportunities across all islands, will be another event first.

“We realized that some attendees don’t know much about Maui, Kauai and Hawaii island — we’ll showcase all the islands through fam trips and at the Village Square,” he said.

Dance said there also will be a food tourism track, including chef Roy Yamaguchi, Nalo Farms and Seawind Tours and Travel Inc.

HTA’s Global Marketing Team, which includes contractors covering the United States, Canada, Oceania, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe and Meet Hawaii contacts, will share 2017 plans.

“We’ve got 40 to 50 attendees coming from China who are first-time visitors to Hawaii,” Dance said.

Surfing will be the focus of the event’s annual Tourism Legacy Awards, which honor businesses and individuals that have perpetuated Hawaiian culture.