Just as autumn’s chill arrives, Hawaii is bringing plenty of sunshine and warmth to Canada.
The Aloha Canada program touched down in Toronto on Wednesday (Oct. 23), with around 200 travel agents and travel lovers mingling and dining at the Toronto Congress Centre to hear updates on one of the world’s great destinations – and my personal favourite vacation spot on the planet.
Hawaii Tourism representatives at Aloha Canada night in Toronto. JIM BYERS PHOTO[/caption
The event, sponsored by VOX International, which handles both trade and consumer public relations for Hawaii Tourism, featured lovely Hawaiian music, a fine “huli huli” chicken dinner and updates from the main islands and several hotel and tour operators.
Laci Goshi of the Hawaii Tourism Authority told me Canada is critical to the Hawaiian tourism industry.
“Canada is our second largest international market after Japan, and our fourth biggest market overall,” she said.
Goshi said Canadian visits to Hawaii fell to less than 500,000 a couple years ago but have bounced backed to more than half a million, “which we’re very happy with.”
Goshi said the state will focus on responsible tourism in 2019 as they approach 10 million visitors overall.
“We want to strike a balance between what’s best for residents and visitors,” she said. “We want to get people off the beaten track and have them explore parts of Hawaii they may not know. Hawaii is a very safe destination, and we want people to get out of the usual spots they may frequent and find unusual places to explore and stay.”
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A deserted beach on the west side of Molokai. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I’m all for that. I’ve been 25 times in this lucky life of mine, and some of my best memories are from trips to Lanai and Molokai, as well as to lesser-known areas on Maui, Oahu, Big Island Hawaii and Kauai.
Goshi also said they’d like to get more visitors – and more Canadians – arriving in shoulder season. That’s a great point, as I find the shoulder seasons of April-May and September-October are tremendous for finding cheap flights and bargain prices for hotels and rental cars. I had a flight to Maui from Toronto a couple years ago for $600 CAD round-trip in September; which is a good deal cheaper than some California to Hawaii flights in mid-winter.
Colin Wood of VOX told me travel agents can go to www.agents.gohawaiii.com and find partners that offer discounts on hotels and attractions.
Tiffany Rosenthal of the terrific Ka’anapali Beach Hotel on Maui told me they’ll hold the Hula Ona Keiki event next month, a children’s hula event that’s been going on for a remarkable 37 years. I’ve seen several hula shows at the KBH over the years and always enjoy them. They also own the Plantation Inn in Lahaina, which has tons of charm and a great location and makes for a fine, affordable place to stay in one of Hawaii’s most attractive and engaging towns.
The Na Pali coast is an amazing feature on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. JIM BYERS PHOTO
course, one of the big issues for Hawaii of late was the volcano action on Hawaii Big Island. The eruption ceased some time ago and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been open for more than a month, I was told,
“Only two per cent of the island was affected, so all the hotels and attractions are open,” a spokeswoman told me. “And there’s no volcano fog or ‘vog’ on the Kona coast now, so we’re back to blue skies and beautiful sunsets.”
A Kauai island spokeswoman told me the road west of Hanalei (on the north shore of the island) is still closed from the rain and mudslides that took place a few months ago, but that the closure only affects one small hotel and a few private rentals.
“Other than that everything on Kauai is open,” she said.
Kauai is one of my favourite Hawaii destinations, with remarkable hiking, great beaches, remote canyons and wonderful small towns, including Kapa’a and Hanapepe.
Hawaii is famous for its wonderful waterfalls, as well as great beaches and fabulous resorts. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Juan Contreras, area sales manager for Air Canada Vacations, said direct flights between Toronto and Honolulu will begin again in December on Air Canada.
from Vancouver with Air Canada, operating on Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
ACV is offering five-night packages from Canada to Hawaii for as little as $999; a tremendous bargain.
The Aloha Canada team will chat with travel folks in Vancouver today (Oct. 24) and then in Edmonton tomorrow (Oct. 25).
