HONOLULU — As Dallas-based Southwest Airlines ramps up its service to Hawaii with 28 daily flights by the end of May, the state is facing a problem in managing the growing number of visitors to the island who spend less money here every year.
“We’re not at a crisis point yet. We’re at a tipping point. We have so many visitors, we need to get serious about creating management programs,” said Frank Haas, a travel industry veteran who is the former marketing director at the Hawaii Tourism Authority and formerly served as an Assistant Dean at the University of Hawaii.
Haas joined James Mak, a professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii and Paul Brewbaker, a longtime economist who worked for the Bank of Hawaii, to write a nine-page white paper last month which details how Hawaii has failed to manage tourism.
“Yeah, I would even say we struck a nerve so to speak. We wrote about what a lot of (local) people are already thinking,” Brewbaker said.
A couple from North Carolina is suing Marriott and Kyo-Ya Hotels and Resorts, saying they were not informed about the ongoing hotel workers strike before coming to the islands for their honeymoon.
The class-action lawsuit filed this week states that the couple had only limited services at the hotel, yet they were still charged full price ($2,391) for their five-night stay.
The suit stated,“The hotel provided limited or no housekeeping services, no valet parking service, no room service, no pool attendants, and very limited to no on-site restaurant and bar service,”
Keith Vieira, a former Starwood and Sheraton hotel executive, said “Nobody wins in this. The workers really don’t recover the funds, the tips they would have gotten so they suffer,”
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Hawaii. The state capital is widely acknowledged as a major hub for military defense, international business and boasts of a diverse variety of east-west and pacific cuisine, traditions and culture. It is also counted as a major financial center of the islands and the Pacific Ocean.
Popular Tourist Attractions
USS Arizona Memorial – The perfect site to complement your flight booking to Honolulu. Standing at 184-foot tall, this memorial site was built in the honor of 2,388 American heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor.
Battleship Missouri Memorial – This historic site gives you a vintage experience beginning with the “day of infamy” and sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor and ending with unconditional surrender of the Imperial Japan aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific – Dubbed as the “Cemetery of Heroes” this is the resting spot for over 25,000 victims of the three major American Wars – Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II.
Shangri La – Built in 1930 as home to Doris Duke, this is a masterpiece of architecture showcasing some of the most spectacular collections of Islamic artwork.
Makapuu Lighthouse Trail – This is amongst the most popular spots in the city. This easy route is moderately inclined to 647 feet summit. If you can manage a pre-sunrise hike to the top of the trail, you can catch some splendid views of sunrise.
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Honolulu in the US, is the capital of Hawaii and the touchdown point of airplanes in the region. People come here for its warm, sunny beaches that have a reputation of being some of the very best in the world. The place is divided into three parts – Waikiki, Down Town, and Pearl Harbour, and they are all famous for different reasons. Waikiki is the commercial centre of the city, Down Town is its architectural distinction and Pearl Harbour is naval base of the US.
Places of Interest in Honolulu Pearl Harbour
When your airplane is approaching Pearl Harbour, you possibly can’t escape the imagination of a Japnese bomber flying towards Pearl Harbour and blasting the base into a million fiery pieces. As you know, this audacious Japanese harakiri had culminated in the eventual decimation of Japanese might by American nuclear bombs in the Second World War. A lot of time has passed since then, and the visitors now prefer Pearl Harbor as a calm and serene place to visit Honululu. The place is also home to America’s Naval Fleet and the visitors can explore Naval Warships, the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri here.
Waikiki
‘Exotic’ might be the closest possible description of Waikiki’s crescent-shaped, sunny beach; ‘picture perfect’ might come in close second. This atypical sea beach of white sand and turquoise waters invariably charms the visitors regardless of their preference for watersports or tanning or swimming. The beaches on Waikiki are so identical and closely sitauted that they seem to run into each other and look inseparable. The relevant services like shops and restaurants come standard as per other beaches but it is the profound experience of a scenic beach and colourful vista here that usually takes the cake.
Atlantis Submarines
Imagine yourself a hundred feet below in sea and being examined by a shark. Close, you would say. In Honolulu, you can be a party to such an unforgettable experience in a submarine. Atlantis Submarine is the name of the underwater bliss that shall take you into the enigmatic, blue-colored world. This is perhaps the the most compelling reason for you yo bring your kids here!
