Making Visitors Out of Listeners

Global

For Japanese workers slaving away in office cubicles, finding aloha is now as easy as putting on headphones. A record number of Japanese are getting their weekly Hawaiian escape by subscribing to the Official Hawaii Podcast, the most popular Japanese-language travel podcast on iTunes since its release last August. And that could be big news for shoring up Hawaii’s visitor numbers.

The podcast, a free 20-minute audio segment released every Friday morning, features a variety of content, from ukulele tips with Herb Ota Jr. to gourmet dining reviews. The podcast also serves up soothing melodies from various local artists, including a track from the Brothers Cazimero’s new album before its official release. In May, monthly downloads of the podcast had increased to more than 20,000.

Peter Williams, CEO of Orbitune and co-creator of the podcast, says this interest comes when the yen’s value is making gains against the struggling U.S. dollar. Japanese media outlets have noticed, too, with some emphasizing that now is a good time to travel here. “The strength of the dollar is falling; a destination like Hawaii is more affordable now,” Williams says.
Podcasts in Japan, where media is heavily regulated, are also a welcome source of original content. “There’s a great appetite for people to find content tailored and made just for their lifestyles,” Williams explains. “Podcasts fill a content void that people didn’t have access to before.”

He says travelers generally look to the Web first these days. “The style in which travelers are getting their information is changing,” Williams says. “Now people are taking much more control over their travel plans with these digital tools.”

The podcast is already sponsored by several local businesses, including Starwood Hotels and the Marriott Hotel groups, with several other venues expressing interest. Local companies are catching on that the favorable exchange rate may beckon some of Hawaii’s best customers and that podcasts could make visitors out of listeners.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »