When dignitaries presented Gov. John Burns in 1970 with their report on what Hawaii might look like in the future, the concept of the islands as the "Geneva of the Pacific" was already cliché, "a theme that appears again and again in the rhetoric of modern Hawaii."

As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference opens Tuesday in Honolulu, bringing together the heads of state from 21 nations and corporate interests from around the world, Hawaii hopes to reach beyond rhetoric toward more tangible financial connections within the region.

Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, the lead state official for APEC preparations, said the objective of APEC is not just to generate a lot of direct spending in Hawaii that could have a short-term boost in the state’s economy, but also to build relationships that might bear fruit over time.

Schatz hopes APEC could be a catalyst for Hawaii to develop the type of cultural and business relationships it now has with Japan with other countries in the Pacific.

"It’s going to take more than one event for us to connect ourselves to the opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region," the lieutenant governor said. "One of the things that our administration is looking at is, how do we capitalize on the momentum and sustain it over time?"

Lifting visa restrictions on visitors from Korea and establishing direct airline flights from China are already producing results, Schatz said, and if Hawaii were to capture even a small percentage of the outbound travel markets in those countries, it could have a tremendous impact on the state’s economy.

Schatz also thinks there is a growing appetite among Asian investors to form partnerships with businesses and institutions in Hawaii on alternative energy.

Schatz said it took decades to build ties and trust with Japan that extend beyond commerce, to the point where hula, for example, is part of Japan’s popular culture or where Hawaii residents raised millions to help Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami this year.

"We don’t want to create a situation where if the transaction goes south, so does the relationship," he said. "The relationship has to be built so that it can be sustained through the ups and downs of whatever business cycles we may both experience."

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said his philosophy toward APEC is to establish Hawaii as the easternmost anchor of the Asia-Pacific region. He said the diplomats, trade ministers and corporate executives should feel comfortable in the islands and see Hawaii as a partner, a place to both visit and do business, not as some exotic outpost of the United States.

"We’re not a crossroads. We’re not a pass-through on the way from Asia to the United States mainland or to the Americas," the governor said. "On the contrary, we’re this anchor. We are a destination in and of itself."

Mayor Peter Carlisle said APEC is an opportunity for Honolulu to display its physical beauty, warm climate and aloha, and to establish the city as a regional business hub and conference destination.

"We don’t just want Honolulu to be the heart of the Pacific because of its aloha; we want it to be a business hub of the Pacific as well," the mayor said.

He described the APEC summit as "sort of a first big step toward making Honolulu a ‘Geneva of the Pacific,’ because you’ve got world leaders who are coming here to talk serious business and then go back to their respective economies with what’s been accomplished here, as well as the ministers and the people who are leaders in their business communities as well."

The advisory committee that prepared task force reports on the future for Burns in 1970 predicted that Hawaii’s prosperity would depend on peaceful regional cooperation. A task force noted that the first Pan-Pacific Union was formed in Honolulu about 50 years before, and recommended a new Pacific council to act as a clearinghouse for information about social, economic and political developments.

"One of the primary functions of such a council might well be that of providing a forum — which does not exist today — where Pacific peoples can come together to discuss common problems and mutual interests," the task force found.

At Waihee’s congress on Hawaii’s international role in 1988, A.A. "Bud" Smyser, an editor at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, romanticized about Hawaii as the "Geneva of the Pacific," and others encouraged the creation of a Pacific institute on commerce, an international trade center and a Honolulu stock exchange.

APEC was founded a year later at a gathering in Australia.

Geneva emerged as a center for international diplomacy and finance after the turn of the 20th century because of its central location in Europe and because of Switzerland’s blend of cultures and reputation for neutrality, providing the eventual backdrop for the League of Nations and the European headquarters of the United Nations.

"Nobody’s building Genevas anymore, and hasn’t for some time," said Charles Morrison, president of the East-West Center.

But Morrison said Hawaii can be an ideal venue for events like APEC in the future and, with the right coordination and organizational execution, can help build important cultural and financial ties within the region.

Thinking of APEC as a one-off event — like hosting a Super Bowl or a national political convention — would be a missed opportunity, he said.

"It might be true that we kind of exaggerate its significance. But part of the real reason for making a big effort on this is that it’s not just a one-off event; it’s something for the future of this state," Morrison said.