13 August, 2015

Hawaii poised for MICE growth

Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania (HTO), in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, wrapped up the inaugural Meet Hawai‘i Roadshow in Sydney recently, winding down with a networking cocktail reception.

Following on from a day of workshops and one on one appointments with operators from Hawai‘i, the roadshow brought a little slice of paradise to Melbourne, before travelling to Brisbane and ending up in Sydney.

This series of events designed for MICE industry professionals gave attendees the chance to gain in-depth destination and product training on the Hawaiian Islands, with a trip to Hawai’i given out at each event.

Ashley Partridge from Directions Conference and Incentive Management was the lucky lady from Sydney to win a trip to travel to Hawai‘i to experience it for themselves.

Industry professionals dined on a Hawaiian inspired menu and were entertained by Hawaiian musicians, Nick and Kuki from Kumola Foundation, whilst discovering some hidden wonders of the Islands.

Holly Ballard, MCI Account Manager HTO, Ashley Partridge, Directions Conference and Incentive Management who won the major prize; Lawrence Sattrukalsinghe
National Business Development Manager, Hawaiian Airlines and Ashlee Galea, Country Manager HTO.

“Hawai‘i offers a diverse range of accommodation, activities and attractions across the six beautiful islands of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawai‘i Island,” Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania’s account manager for meetings, conferences and incentives Holly Ballard said.

“So we are very excited to have a representative from each of the Island Chapters along with twelve industry partners and the Hawai‘i Convention Center joining us for the Meet Hawai‘i Roadshow.

“Participants had “speed-dates” with MICE industry partners from Hawai‘i and our Island Chapter representatives took them on a visual and informative journey through the Hawaiian Islands.”

HTO see a big opportunity for growth in the MICE sector, with an increased capacity in air seats over the last three years, with direct and more frequent services out of the 3 ports of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

In 2014, 313,053 Aussies visited Hawai‘i, and from January to May in 2015 growth in visitation has continued from Australia to Hawai‘i with a 13.2% year to date increase. HTO expect this growth to continue for the remainder of 2015, with the aim to hit 340,000 by December.

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australia hawaii tourism oceania hawaiian airlines MICE Sydney