Kauai tempts Chinese business travelers

Kauai has caught the attention of the Chinese corporate meetings and incentives market in what could turn out to be a boom for the Garden Island economy.

The first-ever charter flight from China touched down in Lihue this week as 143 business executives and their families flew in from Shanghai via a connecting stop in San Jose, Calif. They arrived on a Miami Air International charter.

A second charter with 200 Chinese will arrive on Feb. 4, said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.

A third group is expected soon after, Kanoho said.

CMI groups come to destinations like Hawaii to reward employees for reaching certain production goals or to conduct training sessions.

The first group arrived Wednesday and was greeted at the airport by Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., musicians and a hula dancer.

"We are thrilled to welcome these visitors from a part of the world that holds so much promise for the tourism industry," Carvalho said Thursday in a statement. "They were genuinely moved by the aloha spirit that was shared. I’m sure they will spread the word about Kauai back home."

The influx of Chinese nationals comes on the heels of President Barack Obama signing an executive order last week aimed at speeding up tourist visa processing in China and Brazil.

The initiative seeks to increase nonimmigrant visa processing capacity by 40 percent this year and expand a visa waiver program that lets participating nationals travel to the U.S. for stays of 90 days or less without a visa.

Hawaii Tourism Authority spokeswoman Momi Akimseu said China is a developing market for Hawaii, and the group visit to Kauai is more proof that HTA’s efforts are paying off.

She said inroads in China have been made through HTA’s marketing contractors who have offices in Beijing and Shanghai; a Hawaii exhibit at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010; the signing of the U.S.-Chinese memorandum of understanding in 2007 that provides Chinese tourists with the opportunity to visit the U.S. with more ease; and the role that Hawaii played in November in hosting 21 world economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that included Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Representatives from neighbor island visitors bureaus, hotel chains and attractions also met with travel agents in China last May as part of the Asia Travel mission.

The Chinese group in Kauai this week, which includes company CEOs, is staying for six days at the Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa.

"To have Chinese nationals coming in … is very significant, and we’re looking for the opportunity in how we can partner in the future," Kanoho said.