In the News: Hawaii Hotels launching programs for Chinese guests

Transcription

1 Monthly Newsletter Vol. 8 No. 9 Aloha!! The first-ever regularly scheduled non-stop flights from China arrived in Honolulu on August 9 th with China Eastern Airlines carrying 271 passengers from Shanghai. Promotional activities to promote the new direct non-stop flights from Seoul by Asiana Airlines to Honolulu have also started in Korea. Following are some of the highlights of Hawaii Tourism Asia s activities during the past month and your opportunities to participate in some of our future activities. Mahalo! In the News: Hawaii Hotels launching programs for Chinese guests Major hotels in Hawaii have launched programs to better service the increasing number of Chinese guests. Please see the following two articles for details. KOREA: KBS TV <Challenger> August series of episodes aired Hawaii Tourism Korea continued to work with KBS in editing the four 60-minute network TV episodes of KBS TV Challenger, which aired every Friday throughout the month of August. The August series showcased competitions filmed on the Big Island, with an emphasis on Hawaii s unique nature and culture. During each 1

2 broadcast, various Big Island attractions and activities were featured including a helicopter tour to Kilauea volcano, shopping at Queens MarketPlace, canoeing at Kailua Pier, relaxing at Kohala Spa, and dolphin quest at Hilton Waikoloa Village. In an effort to further promote the program, HTK also created a Challenger e-newsletter which it distributed to the 20,000 Aloha e-newsletter members in Korea including consumer, media, and travel trade. KBS will air the last six episodes featuring O ahu through September 30. Total equivalent advertising value for August network TV coverage alone: $4.9 million. Advertising Campaign for Asiana Airlines inaugural service between Incheon and Honolulu Celebrating Asiana Airlines inaugural service between Incheon and Honolulu starting September 18, Hawaii Tourism Korea worked with Asiana Airlines to launch its first Hawaii advertising campaign in August. The campaign includes a concrete call-to-action and is designed to capitalize on Hawaii s position as the ultimate destination for leisure travel, by Koreans. The campaign consists of full-page advertisements in leading daily newspapers and trade publications, and is designed to motivate Koreans to book Hawaii travel packages through 11 major travel agents. Hawaii Sales Contest with Korean Air Hawaii Tourism Korea organized an award ceremony to celebrate the winners of the Hawaii Sales Contest, inviting 13 travel agents who had won the Travel Agent Sales Contest that HTK held with Korean Air to promote package and FIT bookings to Hawaii. Boosting sales of Korean Air s weekday seats for the additional flights (KE053/054), Hawaii saw a load factor of 70% on average between May and July. Hana Tour won first place for both promotions targeting package and FIT segments. Hanjin Travel came in second for package sales, while Interpark Tour won 2 nd place for FIT promotions. HTK offered sales incentives to the top five agents of each segment that sent the most travelers to Hawaii. CHINA: First regularly scheduled direct flight lands in Honolulu from China The inaugural China Eastern Airlines regularly scheduled flight from Shanghai arrived in Honolulu at 9:30am on August 9, 2011, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The direct flight will increase seat 2

3 capacity from China to Hawaii by more than 12,000 seats for 2011 and is one of the key factors contributing to a projected 37% increase in Chinese arrivals to Hawaii this year. Ms. Tieying Fu, Deputy General Manager of China Eastern Airlines, Mr. Dongji Guo, Vice President of Ctrip, and 18 major Chinese media including Beijing News, Shanghai Times, China Youth Daily and other regional publications travelled on the inaugural flight. All 271 passengers were greeted with colorful banners, leis, Hawaiian music and hula dancers at the welcome reception at Honolulu International Airport. HTA hosted a press conference in the afternoon where Governor Abercrombie presented three certificates to delegates from China Eastern Airlines, Ctrip and U-tour to commend their efforts in making Hawaii Tourism s dream of direct flights between China and Hawaii a reality. Ctrip announced at the press conference that they had just signed a second phase contract with China Eastern Airlines a day earlier to continue to book over 90% of the seats from November to January 27, Ctrip, U-tour and their Hawaii-based tour operator partners hosted a welcome dinner reception at Waialae Country Club on August 9 to entertain all inaugural flight passengers and the 18 media. Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz expressed thanks at the reception to the Chinese visitors for helping to boost the Hawaiian economy. The O ahu Visitors Bureau sponsored Hawaiian gift bags for each of the inaugural flight passengers and DFS sponsored the press conference reception that included wine and soft drinks. Fifteen lucky draw prizes were awarded at the dinner reception. Ctrip extends its contract with China Eastern to sell Hawaii tour packages Given strong bookings on the initial China Eastern regularly scheduled flights to Hawaii, Ctrip agreed to extend its contract with China Eastern Airlines for seats to be blocked from November to January Ctrip also has indicated that it plans to continue booking China Eastern's Hawaii seats after January 2012 when the current agreement ends. 3

4 Reflecting its confidence in on-going sales of Hawaii packages via the new direct non-stop China Eastern flights, Ctrip has set up a tour desk for the first six months of flights on the first floor of DFS in Waikiki, staffed by a full-time Ctrip employee (every day from 2-8 p.m.) to respond to Chinese visitor inquiries and to sell optional tour products, illustrating the emphasis that Ctrip is placing on the Hawaii flights, and the drive to ensure very high booking rates for the coming 6 months. China Outbound Travel Trends The rapidly growing number of Chinese visitors to Hawaii is projected to continue for the coming year, according to recent studies. The Department of Commerce estimates that every Chinese visitor to the U.S. spends an average of more than US$6,000, including airfare with US carriers. And continued growth in arrivals is on the horizon, according to the China Travel Trade Barometer, as nearly all Chinese tour operators surveyed (92%) project an increase in 2011 third-quarter bookings from China to the US. And for the fourth quarter of 2011, 77% of operators project bookings to be higher than in TAIWAN: Taiwan Media exposure for Hawaii CTS TV Travel show "Women Love Travel": this leading travel show on CTS network TV featured Hawaii in two episodes on August 14 and 28. All Nippon Airways sponsored roundtrip tickets to Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines provided discounted inter-island tickets, and Dragon Tours provided discounted land transportation on O ahu and a tour guide on Kaua i. Hertz Taiwan sponsored transportation on Kaua i. Complimentary hotel accommodations were provided by: The Kahala Hotel & Resort with Dolphin Quest, Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa with surfing lesson and St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kaua i with spa treatment. Waikele Outlet and Ward Center also arranged filming in several shops. Kualoa Ranch, Paradise Cove Luau and Princeville Ranch Adventure provided free activity experiences. Kaua i Visitors Bureau hosted lunch at 22 North. Advertising Associate Vice President Sean Morris who provided liability insurance and secured filming permits provided other assistance. Filming was also done at Matsumoto Shave Ice, Kahuku Shrimp Truck, Kua Aina Hawaiian Hamburger, with shopping and lunch hosted by Kukui ula Shopping Center. Total equivalent advertising value: $ 409,700. Car Appreciator Magazine: Car Appreciator Magazine is a monthly focusing on sports and luxury cars with a circulation of 50,000. The editor accepted Hawaii Tourism Taiwan s invitation to join the Hawaii Media Fam in June and agreed to write two reports on Hawaii for a total of 20 pages in their August and September issues. The August issue featured a 10-page story on O ahu with general 4

5 information, China Airlines flights, information about car rentals, shopping, restaurants, hotels, and must-go places such as Polynesian Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch, Pearl Harbor. Advertising Associates VP Sean Morris personally escorted the media. Mr. Morris also arranged special meals to feature local cuisine at Aqua Café s loco-moco, Kua Aina s Obama Burger, and Roy Yamaguchi s fusion cuisine. Total equivalent advertising value: $38,000. Grand Opening of Hawaii Cultural Center in Taiwan The Hawaii Cultural Center in Taiwan was officially granted recognition with a permit issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the Taipei City Government. The Cultural Center will promote Hawaiian culture, music, hula, and lei making skills. Hawaii Tourism Taiwan invited local media to attend the grand opening, with the assistance of the Hawaii State Office in Taiwan. The program started with Hawaiian traditional prayers for blessings and hula performances. The Hawaiian Cultural Center has been representing Hawaii and the United States in many local and international events held in Taiwan. Upcoming Asia Promotional Opportunities Korea: a) Asiana Airlines Agent CEO FAM Trip to Oahu (Early October) b) Hawaii Golf Guidebook Production Project (September ~ December) c) Hawaii 3D Illustration Map Production (September ~ December) d) DIY Travel Agent FAM Trip with Hawaiian Airlines (October) e) TV Crew Visit in conjunction with Kona Coffee Festival on the Big Island (Early November) f) Hana Tour Hawaii Golf Challenger (December 2 nd ~ 6 th ) For more information please contact Julia Koo of Hawaii Tourism Korea at jkoo@aviareps.com 5

6 China: a) Chinese version Professional Visitor s Guide & Coupon booklet program designed and published by Mr. Kurt Himmler. (Contact: Victor Li of Hawaii Tourism China Beijing Office at: vli@aviareps.com) b) China Incentive, Business Travel & Meeting Exhibition visit only (August 30 September 1, Beijing) c) China Guilin Int l Tourism Expo 2011 (September 16th 18th) d) 2011 China Hangzhou International Leisure Industry Expo (September 16th ~ 19th) For more information please contact David Sun of Hawaii Tourism China at dsun@aviareps.com Taiwan & Other Asia: a) PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi (September 6th 9th) b) Philippine Media Fam Tour to Oahu and Hawaii, the Big Island (September 13th -17th) c) 1st Philippine ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) Fam Tour to Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, the Big Island (September 13th 19th) d) 2 nd Philippine Travel Agents Hawaiian Airlines Fam Tour to Kauai and Oahu (October11th 16th) e) 3 rd Philippine Travel Agents Hawaiian Airlines Fam Tour to Maui and Oahu (October 18th 23rd) f) Taipei International Travel fair (TITF) (November 11th -14th) For more information please contact Jemy See of Hawaii Tourism Taiwan at jsee@aviareps.com 6