MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii Week in Shanghai to Showcase Hawaii Culture and Tourism

HONOLULU – Gov. Linda Lingle has announced she will lead an official Hawaii delegation to China June 4-15 to build and expand tourism, investment, trade, energy and education opportunities for Hawaii. A key portion of the trip will focus on “Hawaii Week” at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The governor’s mission, her fourth to China to promote Hawaii, will cover Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming and Beijing. The governor will also visit Japan (June 16-19) to meet with tourism partners in Tokyo.

“This trip to China is another important component in our ongoing effort to expand long-term economic development and business opportunities for Hawaii in the emerging China market,” Lingle said. “It is vital that our state continue to build and strengthen relationships in Asia, especially China, that will position Hawaii businesses and residents to capitalize on future economic and investment opportunities and strengthen our cultural and educational partnerships.”

In Shanghai (June 5-9), Lingle will join representatives and participants from the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the visitor industry and entertainers from Hawaii at the “Hawaii Week” celebration to take place in the United States Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

During the Expo’s “Hawaii Week,” Lingle will participate in various functions planned by HTA including news conferences and media interviews, as well as an Aloha Night dinner reception, which will be attended by Chinese government officials, senior travel trade partners, major tour wholesalers, airline partners, and key media.

The Shanghai Expo is expected to attract more than 70 million visitors, 86 percent of whom will come from domestic China.

While in Shanghai, Lingle will deliver a keynote address at an American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Distinguished Speakers Luncheon about the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. She will also participate in seminars on investing in Hawaii, and studying at Hawaii’s colleges and universities.

Hawaii Department of Agriculture officials will also be in Shanghai to promote the sale of Hawaii agricultural products in China. They will be joined by officials from the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources as well as the agriculture industry, including representatives from the Hawaii Export Nursery Association and the Hawaii Tropical Flowers Council.

The Hawaii Agriculture team will meet with Chinese officials in both Shanghai and Beijing.

In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (June 10-11), Lingle will be joined by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s 2010 Narcissus Queen Tour to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Sister-State-Province relationship between the State of Hawaii and the Province of Guangdong.

Lingle and Guangdong Province Governor Huang Huahua will also discuss the next 25 years of trade, investment and education opportunities. A large proportion of Hawaii’s ethnic Chinese citizens trace their heritage to Guangdong Province, now known as China’s foreign trade powerhouse, accounting for almost one-quarter of China’s exports to the world.

Lingle will visit Kunming in Yunnan Province (June 12-13) where she will be welcomed by Yunnan Governor Qin Guangrong. Yunnan, one of China’s most environmentally and culturally diverse provinces, is located at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains and is working to become China’s “Sustainable Province.”

Qin and Lingle will discuss a relationship centered on clean and renewable energy development. The Chinese Chamber of Hawaii and the Narcissus Queen Tour will also be in Yunnan Province.

Lingle will have two days of official meetings in Beijing (June 14-15). She will meet with Chairman Shao Qiwei of the China National Tourism Administration on opportunities for increased Chinese travel to Hawaii. This will be Governor Lingle’s ninth meeting with Chairman Shao in seven years.

Official meetings are also scheduled with the China Ministry of Commerce (MOC), regarding “Hawaii House,” a Hawaii products import initiative by the MOC. She will also promote investing and studying in Hawaii as a part of several seminars that are scheduled.

Lingle invites those from Hawaii interested in more information about this mission to China, including the possibility of participating in some of the events and activities, to contact the following:

• “Hawaii Week” at the Shanghai Expo, Shanghai, contact the Hawaii Tourism Authority at 808-973-2252.
• Non-“Hawaii Week” events and activities in Shanghai and about the visit to Guangzhou, Kunming and Beijing, contact the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism at 808-586-2355.

Lingle will stop in Tokyo to meet with travel industry partners and Japan Association of Travel Agents before returning home.

Delegation and Expenses

Delegation to China
The following individuals will participate in different segments of the China trip, with the majority attending the Hawaii Week activities in Shanghai:

Gov. Linda Lingle
House Speaker Calvin Say, representing the Hawaii State House of Representatives (Shanghai only)
Senator Donna Mercado Kim, representing the Hawaii State Senate (Shanghai only)
Ted Liu, director, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
Mike McCartney, president and CEO, Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) (Shanghai only)
Kelvin Bloom, chair, HTA (Shanghai only)
David Uchiyama, vice president brand management, HTA (Shanghai only)
Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii 2010 Narcissus Queen Tour (Guangzhou, Kunming and Beijing only)
Duane Okamoto, deputy director, Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Lyle Wong, plant industry division administrator, Hawaii Department of Agriculture
University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
Hawaii Export Nursery Association
Hawaii Tropical Flower Council
Linda Smith, senior policy advisor
Major General Robert Lee, state adjutant general (traveling to China/Asia for other business)

Delegation to Japan
Governor Lingle
Mike McCartney, president and CEO, HTA
Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison
Brennon Morioka, director, Department of Transportation

Lingle’s expenses, including various event-related expenses in China, will be paid for through a combination of funding sources, including the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Governor’s Office and Executive Branch departmental budgets.

Funding for the Hawaii agricultural team is from a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.

Expenses for HTA officials and Hawaii legislators for Hawaii Week at the Shanghai Expo will be paid for by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Linda Smith will be paying her own expenses with personal funds.

Non-government agencies and individuals will cover their own expense.

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HTA to promote Hawaii at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state’s tourism agency, will showcase Hawaii to a worldwide audience during “Hawaii Week” at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo from June 6-12.

In addition to organizing the week’s events, HTA will be sending a Hawaii delegation, led by Gov. Linda Lingle, to represent the Hawaiian Islands and participate in various functions planned throughout the week.

“Hawaii’s participation in the Shanghai World Expo is a rare and strategically important opportunity for our state to demonstrate its commitment to this emerging market,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of HTA. “Our activities at the Expo will create international exposure for Hawaii, help to foster important relationships with China’s government, travel officials, travel trade, and media, and will serve as an opportunity to educate millions of potential Chinese visitors about Hawaii. Our efforts in Shanghai also will serve as a significant prelude to next year’s 2011 APEC world leaders’ meeting when Hawaii sets the stage as the host of this important gathering to support growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.

During Hawaii Week, the sights, sounds and tastes of Hawaii will permeate throughout the USA Pavilion. Hawaiian music and entertainment with be featured on multiple stages with rotating Hawaii images shown on several large electronic screens as a backdrop.

Staff and student ambassadors dressed in aloha attire will share information about Hawaii with visitors while passing out Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Two jumbo Hilo Hattie aloha shirts, including the world’s largest aloha shirt as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records (size 400-XL) will also be on display. Digital collateral will be distributed allowing attendees to link to websites for more in-depth information about the Hawaiian Islands.

The Hawaii delegation will participate in various events during Hawaii Week, including a reception June 7, sponsored by Marriott Hotels and Resorts in Hawaii, for government and visitor industry officials from China; and designated Hawaii Day events June 8 including a press conference, a parade featuring Hawaiian entertainers and an Aloha Night dinner reception with an estimated 100 VIP guests from China including government officials, travel trade partners, major tour wholesalers, airline partners, and key media.

HTA will send 32 individuals to Shanghai to participate in Hawaii Week activities.

The delegation includes:

* Contingent of 19 local entertainers;
* Lingle and two security staff (HTA is only paying for travel expenses to and from Shanghai in support of the Expo and specifically for the promotion of Hawaii and Hawaii tourism);
* Two Hawaii government leaders – House Speaker Calvin Say and Sen. Donna Mercado Kim (on behalf of Senate President Colleen Hanabusa);
* Four HTA staff members including McCartney and Vice President of Brand Management David Uchiyama; and
* Four HTA board members including Kelvin Bloom, chairman and Sharon Weiner, vice-chairwoman.

HTA has budgeted $448,000 for the Shanghai Expo to cover sponsorship fees for Hawaii representation in the USA Pavilion as well as expenses related to promote Hawaii Week and Hawaii Day, including Hawaiian entertainment, travel and additional costs related event staging and functions.

On May 14, the HTA board of directors approved a contingency amount of $15,000 from the HTA Opportunity Fund to cover any supplemental costs that may arise to successfully carry out Hawaii Week at the Expo.

Chinese visitors have become Hawaii’s highest daily spenders, with per person per day spending at $312. Recent bookings have shown that outbound travel from this growing market is increasing, with approximately 55,000 Chinese visitors to our islands each year.

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo is expected to generate the largest number of visitors in the 150 year history of the world’s fairs. More than 70 million visitors are expected to attend, and 190 countries and 50 international organizations are scheduled to participate.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority was created in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is to strategically manage Hawaii tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with our economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs.

For more information on the HTA, visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org