Crowded Water
THE TRAVEL CHANNEL named Kona’s manta ray night dive one of the top 10 things to do in your lifetime. As they feed on the plankton attracted to the flashlights held by divers and snorkelers, the gentle yet massive rays,…
Tourism
LocalKineBiz: Keawe Adventures
Ex-Marine captain’s company, Keawe Adventures, struggled for four years until a concierge at the Halekulani gave him a chance. Now his business employs 12 people and focuses on small tours with six or seven visitors at a time. Makani Christensen…
They've Earned Their Stars
THE OLD ADAGE still matters in Hawaii’s top hotels: Every little thing counts. That commitment to seemingly small things – greeting you by name when you check in, smiling at you with every interaction – has kept two hotels as the…
Salvaging the Ferry
It’s been six years since the Alakai sailed out of Honolulu Harbor for the last time, yet somehow the Hawaii Superferry won’t go away. It haunted the 2014 campaign like the ghost of elections past. In June, an unscientific online…
Talk Story with Shari Chang
CEO, Girl Scouts of Hawaii Girl Scouting runs through Shari Chang’s veins. Her grandmother and mother were both scouts. While growing up, she was a scout in four different states and a foreign country. Her two daughters, who grew up…
Markets to Suit Every Taste
Hawaii’s known for a unique blend of cultures and tastes, and that is evident in the wide variety of foods and products available in the Islands’ many ethnic markets. These markets go far beyond the typical Japanese, Chinese and Korean…
Big Draw for Chinese Tourists: Fish Oil and Other Supplements
When you walk into Honolulu vitamin stores, the first things you notice are the Chinese characters. Above the bottles of fish oil, joint lubricant and multivitamins are signs that list the name of each product in Chinese, English and, occasionally,…
It Takes a Village to Host a Tourist
As the sun rises on Waikiki Beach, some workers are going home while others have just arrived and are preparing to serve, feed and entertain up to 6,000 visitors at the Hilton. Senior writer Beverly Creamer and photographer Greg Yamamoto…
Talk Story with Pohai Ryan
Executive Director, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association Ryan brings wide experience to her role, from managing an information office in Kailua to serving as a state senator. This Kamehameha Schools alumna plans to focus on culture and authenticity during her tenure,…
A Brief Guide to Understanding Chinese Tourists
The wave of change coming to Hawaii tourism could be seen on a recent evening at La Mer, the Halekulani hotel’s five-star French restaurant. The raucous group at one table stood out amid the room’s dark wood, roses, flickering Wolford…
Talk Story with Peter Fithian
You seem to have lived many different lives. I’ve done a number of things. Probably some of the work I did with the visitors bureau and the various committees I’ve been on did more for Hawaii, but I’m best known…
13 Great Things About Waikiki (Plus 13 Awful Things)
A Hawaii Business team of four reporters, four photographers and four interpreters (two Chinese, one Japanese and one Korean) invaded Waikiki. We asked tourists, workers and business owners what they liked and didn’t like about the tourist mecca, and here are the…
Waikiki After Dark
Waikiki is the Honolulu Police Department’ssmallest district, but, at three square miles it is also the most densely populated, says Officer John DeMello, who has been patrolling these streets for the past 10 years. I accompanied DeMello one Friday evening and…
Waikiki Present and Future - Extended Version
Panelists: W. David P. Carey III: President and CEO, Outrigger Enterprises Group Rick Egged: President, Waikiki Improvement Association Eric Gill: Financial Secretary-Treasurer, Unite Here Local 5 Hawaii Ernest “Ernie” K. Nishizaki: Executive VP, Kyo-Ya Co. LLC George D. Szigeti: President…
HTA Tries to Smooth Out Boom-and-Bust Cycles
The Hawaii Tourism Authority understands how hard it will be, but it is trying to rewrite the old saying that insists, What goes up, must come down. There are already strong signs that the tourism boom of the past few years has…
Homelessness in Waikiki
Many of Waikiki’s Homeless Are Mainland Snowbirds Just as tourists trade the cold winters of Minneapolis, Seattle and other cities for the warmth of Waikiki, so do another group of visitors. “There are homeless people who come here in the…
International Market Place Closes
The old International Market Place is dead. For more than 50 years, tourists flocked there, drawn to the warren of cheap jewelry stores, kiosks selling kitschy bric-a-brac and the romance of the original Don the Beachcomber restaurant, which opened there…
Editor's Note: A Waikiki Love Song
When people tell me they never go to Waikiki, I wonder why they would want to miss so many wonderful things. Sure I love to play in the ocean and climb our green mountains far from the madding crowds, but,…
You Can Stay at the Volcano Again
Renovated Volcano House reopens three years after closing. After standing empty for three years, the Volcano House Hotel is gradually reopening on the rim of the still-active Kilauea Caldera at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Photo: Courtesy…
Chasing Lava
Charging through five-foot swells, soaked by waves while clinging to the rail of a 34-foot boat, you realize that seeing lava flow into the ocean isn’t for wimps. “This is not your powder-puff boat ride,” says Capt. Shane Turpin. “It’s…
Editor's Note: Rebuilding the Crystal Ball on Economic Forecasts
Think you have a tough job? Try being an economist. Every November, economists around the world issue their forecasts of the coming year. There is always a huge range of opinions: One American economist may suggest U.S. GDP will rise…
Tourism Carries "Sub-Par" Hawaii Economy
It’s simple, really: Everyone in Hawaii needs to give a hearty round of applause to tourism for lifting us out of the recession. Thank you for an estimated $13.9 billion in visitor spending during 2012 (that’s a record) from 7.8…
Ecotourism on Hawaii Island
Rob Pacheco walks up to what looks like an immense empty bathtub amid a desolate volcanic landscape dotted by ohia lehua and pukeawe trees. “This is my favorite place,” he says, pointing to the ancient Kaupulehu Crater, which descends hundreds…