More than 20,000 delegates and their families are expected to arrive on Oahu this week for the five-day Lions Clubs International Convention, which starts Friday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
The event is the largest convention scheduled in Hawaii for 2015, organizers said. It will generate more than $84 million in total revenue and $8.2 million in state tax revenue, the Lions Club said.
It’s the fourth time for Honolulu to host the Lions Clubs International Convention.
"We would like to express our gratitude to the leaders of the Lions Clubs, the many Lions Clubs volunteers here locally and our hospitality industry for their efforts in securing this tremendous organization for the Hawaiian Islands," said Brian Lynx, vice president of meetings, conventions and incentives for the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The convention includes a luau at the Honolulu Zoo on Friday and an International Parade of Nations in Waikiki starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Maui named top U.S. vacation destination
Maui beat out historic national parks and the City by the Bay to be named the best vacation destination in the U.S. in a new analysis.
In addition to the U.S. locales, London is the world’s top destination, and St. Lucia is the best place to visit in the Caribbean, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The rest of the top five U.S. destinations, in order, are Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco and Yosemite.
Following London in the top five international destinations are Bora Bora, French Polynesia; Barcelona, Spain; Paris; and Sydney.
On the expanded list of the top 25 destinations in the world, Maui ranked seventh, ahead of the Bahamas at No. 14 and the U.S. Virgin Islands at 17th.
The rest of the winning Caribbean destinations are the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Curacao.
The publication analyzed more than 350 destinations, using methodology combining expert analysis and user voting.
Delta Air Lines pilots to vote on contract
ATLANTA » Delta Air Lines pilots begin voting Wednesday on a proposed labor contract that would increase their pay by nearly 14.5 percent in 2016 compared with today’s rates.
Some of Delta’s more than 12,000 pilots, however, are unhappy about other terms of the three-year agreement, including changes to profit sharing and work rules.
The period for Delta pilots to vote on the tentative labor agreement runs through July 10.
Mike Donatelli, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association at Delta, told pilots in a recorded message, "Our rates have suffered the trials of Delta’s highs and lows." He said the tentative agreement represents "an opportunity to lock in a contract" that makes certain the future for pilots.
The union reached the agreement with the Atlanta-based company six months before the pilots’ current contract expires, following Delta’s reporting of billions of dollars in profits. Donatelli told pilots that other carriers that waited longer are "mired in stalled negotiations. Imagine record profits yet nothing to show for it."
Tim Caplinger, a pilot who has been seeking to organize a new independent pilots union at Delta, said he sees the deal as a "concessionary contract." He said some pilots are asking for 20 percent raises and no reduction in profit sharing.
"The money is there," Caplinger said.
Facebook beats Walmart on stock market
NEW YORK » Facebook is now bigger than Wal-Mart Stores Inc., at least when it comes to its value on the stock market.
The world’s biggest online social network knocked the world’s largest retailer out of the top-10 list of the highest-valued companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index Monday, and the gap widened Tuesday.
While the switch is mostly symbolic — nothing specific happened this week to warrant it, and the difference between the two giants is not that big — it signals investors’ insatiable appetite for successful tech stocks. Apple, Microsoft and Google top the list of the highest-valued companies in the U.S., and Facebook looks to be on its way to joining them.
May new-home sales increased 2.2%
WASHINGTON » Purchases of new U.S. homes surged in the Northeast and West in May as steady job growth over the past year has lifted the real estate sector.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that new-home sales rose 2.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000, the strongest pace since February 2008.
ON THE MOVE
Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced the following promotions in its human resources department:
>> Pila Hanson is director of Outrigger’s organizational development. She was previously manager of organizational development and internal communications since 2007.
>> Kaipo Ho is director of Outrigger’s cultural experiences. He was previously a cultural experiences manager.
Hawaiian Telcom Holdco has announced that Scott Barber has been selected as the company’s new president and chief executive officer as well as to serve as a member of the board of directors. He was previously chief operating officer for Hawaiian Telcom. Prior to joining the company, Barber served as chief operating officer of SureWest Communications, a publicly traded telecommunications company.
