Tourism Chief: Shanghai ‘Trip Was Worth It’
Hawaii tourism officials spent $450,000 to have a presence at the Shanghai World Expo last week.
Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, was part of the delegation that participated in Hawaii-themed events at the USA Pavilion. He spoke with Civil Beat about how the state could benefit from the trip.
CIVIL BEAT: How was Shanghai?
MIKE MCCARTNEY: It was amazing. Being there was important to signal to the world that China is important to Hawaii. The press conference that we had when we arrived for Hawaii Week at the expo was amazing. I had never seen so many reporters and cameras.
When I woke up the next day I looked at a Shanghai newspaper and we were on page one. That was pretty neat. It’s such a major event and China is so big. I think more people in one day passed through the expo then there are on Oahu.
So, from a strategic purpose we were showcasing Hawaii at the expo for one full day but also holding individual meetings with officials and travel wholesalers and airlines.
What was the reaction from the Chinese in attendance?
They were impressed. I heard comments from wholesalers and travel agents that Chinese are interested in traveling to Los Angeles and New York but that Hawaii is like a dream to them. That was positive feedback. Our challenge is to work on direct airline access and moving up a visa waiver program.
I can’t mention the airline names, but we did have two meetings about flying directly to Hawaii instead of going through Japan. And we are working on the big challenge of the visas, which is something that involves the Department of Homeland Security and the administration and the Chinese government.
It’s my impression that the consulates are overworked and have a backlog on visa processing. Gov. Lingle planned to meet with U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman. Sen. Inouye is involved. I would love for China to have a visa waiver program with us like Japan and Korea.
How does the HTA plan to follow up on developing the China market?
Like any other market that is opening up, relationships are important, and our brand manager David Uchiyama and myself have a whole manila envelop full of business cards. With a developing market it’s so important to meet face to face with travel businesses and government. We know them now, the major players, and that is the opportunity the expo gave us. That was great.
In our meetings, one thing we really stressed is that Haneda Airport in Tokyo is adding international slots for JAL, and it’s not so bad to fly there from Shanghai or fly on Korean Air through Inchon to Hawaii.
How do you respond to criticism that spending about $450,000 on the Shanghai trip was not a good use of state funds?
I think for Hawaii’s future investment we had to do it. If not, we would be asked why we were not there. It was our intention to put our mark in their book, to let them know that we want their business. The USA Pavilion was funded by a lot of American corporations, so that shows that America wants Chinese investment too.
It’s not just tourism. You fill air seats with tourists, but there is a multiplier effect that we need to have. Hawaii is not just a vacation place. There are places for investment, hotels and real estate. The trip was worth it, but now the work begins. The doors don’t just open right away. It is going to take as a while to develop China as a market.
