Air China flights begin

Hawaii tourism is expected to fly higher this year with the addition of scheduled nonstop service from Beijing to Honolulu.

Air China, founded in 1988, brought its first group of 270 visitors, including top airline officials, travel agents and Chinese media, to Hawaii on Monday.

"I think it is so beautiful," said Lian Yingfang as she got her first view of Hawaii following Air China’s inaugural flight, which took about eight hours and 30 minutes.

Yingfang and her parents plan to spend three days in Hawaii visiting Pearl Harbor and taking a circle-island tour before traveling on to New York and Canada. While the family had planned their trip before discovering the direct-flight option, Yingfang’s father, Liang Yulin, said that there’s no doubt the convenience will inspire more Chinese travelers to visit Hawaii.

To be sure, it was part of the reason that the Deng and Xia families, who were traveling in a group of seven, decided to make their first Hawaii visit.

"We came because of the beautiful weather, the beach and because Hawaii is a safe place," said Wei Xia. "We wanted our kids to enjoy this weather. We also plan to visit DFS and go to the Big Island to see the volcano."

The Hawaii Tourism Authority estimates that Air China’s new service will provide $80.4 million in visitor spending and $8.6 million in state tax revenue annually. The Bejing-based carrier’s three-day-a-week service precedes Hawaiian Airlines’ new service between Beijing and Honolulu, which is due to begin April 16. Hawaiian also will fly three times a week between the two cities.

China Eastern Airlines, which flies between Honolulu and Shanghai, is the only other carrier offering nonstop service linking Hawaii and China. The airline increased its frequency last month to five times a week from its previous three times a week.

Altogether these carriers are expected to expand the number of air seats from China in 2014 to 120,616 — a gain of 181 percent from the 42,903 seats available to this market in 2013.

HTA expects the new flights this year will help it reach its aggressive Chinese visitor targets of $441.7 million in visitor spending and 182,078 arrivals. In addition to scheduled air service, a large number of Chinese tourists fly to Hawaii on chartered flights.

If achieved, the HTA goals represent a gain of 23.3 percent over the $358.3 million in anticipated visitor spending for 2013 and a 21.5 percent rise over the 149,914 Chinese visitors who likely came to Hawaii in 2013.

"The success of our visitor industry has a direct correlation with the increased airlift, and we are committed to ensuring that we maintain a strong inventory of air seats to support our industry and our state’s economy," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

HTA’s China market targets for 2013 were thrown off when China Eastern’s flights started later than anticipated.

"I know we are tracking a little bit soft to what our August projections were," said David Uchiyama, HTA vice president of brand management. "We anticipated the incremental flights per week from China Eastern were going to increase sooner rather than in December, so our numbers were based on being able to grow the frequency earlier in the year."

Year-end 2013 Chinese visitor figures are not expected to be released until next week. However, through November of last year, actual Chinese arrivals were up 13 percent to 123,468 from 109,244 in the year-earlier period.

Uchiyama said the latest flights will build on HTA’s long-term strategy of diversifying its departure cities in multiple major markets in Asia.

"Being able to open up Beijing is another phase of developing China as a whole and in terms of an inbound market to Hawaii," Uchiyama said. "It’s a new entry for them into the market, so the responsibility is on us to cultivate demand out of Beijing and Shanghai, and all of China for that matter, so we can develop that market further."

Hawaii is vying with destinations worldwide for a share of China’s burgeoning visitor source market. China, which became the world’s largest source of outbound tourists in 2012 with an expenditure of $102 billion, saw an expenditure increase of 28 percent in the first three quarters of 2013, according to a World Tourism Organization barometer released Monday.

"Demand for international travel is growing" in China, Zhihang Chi, Air China’s general manager of North America, told members of Hawaii’s tourism industry and Chinese travelers at an airport welcome reception following the flight. "With the very wise easing of visa restrictions, the U.S. is in a strong position to capture the wave of outbound travel."

Chi said Hawaii in particular is expected to have a strong following.

"Honolulu is the first new destination that Air China has launched in 2014, and it is timed very close to Chinese New Year to create a truly festive atmosphere," he said.

Cindy Gong, regional senior sales manager for Hilton Hawaii, said the resort has planned several special events to welcome Air China travelers, especially those who are coming for Chinese New Year. Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort will host a lion dance Feb. 2 and is partnering with CTS, one of China’s largest travel agencies, to host an all-Chinese luau Feb. 3.

"We’re expecting 500 people at that event,"Gong said. "We are ready to host these travelers and the many who will come to Hawaii on Air China’s direct flights. We have brought in Mandarin speakers, and our associates have had cultural training."

Even smaller companies within Hawaii’s tourism industry are poised to benefit from the additional flights, said Chee Yong Tan, a tour guide with Pan Pacific Enterprise.

"This is very exciting for local companies. As more and more tourists come, it will mean more income for us," Tan said.

It’s also about building friendships, said Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who drew applause from Air China visitors by extending his welcome to President Xi Jinping.

"I have many friends in China, and I am very pleased to say that I have been able to meet President Xi Jinping, and when you get back to China from Hawaii, be sure to say hello,"he said. "Tell him your friend Gov. Neil Abercrombie says hello and invites you to visit Hawaii."