Hawaii Tourism Hoping For A Turnaround

Above, Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hawaii tourism took hits over the past several weeks due to a hurricane and the eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. But Hawaiian tourism is hoping for a big turnaround.

According to West Hawaii Today:

KAILUA-KONA — July proved another rough month for Hawaii Island’s most lucrative industry, but tourism officials are hopeful a visitor resurgence is waiting just around the corner. 

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) initially invested in marketing and media campaigns to counteract international news coverage depicting the island as a disaster area in the wake of the Kilauea eruption, sewing seeds of doubt across the world about safety in travel. 

Now, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) is spending $2 million HTA dollars on a more aggressive messaging endeavor focused heavily on U.S. and Japan travel markets in an attempt to control the narrative rather than mitigate it. 

“Our strategy is to change existing consumer perception from ‘It’s just not the right time to visit,’ to ‘Now, this may be the best time ever to visit,’” said Jay Talwar, HVCB chief marketing officer. “Be the first to see what the new lava flow has created.”

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