Hawaii-2015-SR35-Introduced

WHEREAS, the tourism industry constitutes the largest single contributor to the State's gross domestic product, representing approximately 21 percent of its economy; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's top four visitor markets have traditionally been the western United States, eastern United States, Japan, and Canada; and

WHEREAS, in terms of visitor days among the top four markets in 2013, the U.S. West and U.S. East showed flat growth, while Japan and Canada showed only modest gains; and

WHEREAS, in contrast, visitor days from Hawaii’s Other Asia tourism market (excluding Japan but including China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore) increased by 16.5 percent; and

WHEREAS, it is important for the State to diversify its visitor markets so that weakness in a particular market at any given time can be offset by strength in another; and

WHEREAS, a particularly-promising source of visitors for Hawaii is the Chinese market; and

WHEREAS, as the economy of China--already the world's second-largest economy--continues to grow, more members of that nation's emerging middle class will be able to afford to travel overseas; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, approximately 97,300,000 Chinese traveled abroad, about 1,800,000 of whom visited the United States, and of these visitors, 125,011 arrived in Hawaii and spent an average of $394 per person per day, the highest among all visitor groups, including the Japanese; and

WHEREAS, since November 1, 2012, residents of Taiwan have been able to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program; and

WHEREAS, on November 10, 2014, the governments of the United States and China announced that the two nations would begin granting visas to each other's citizens valid for up to a decade; and

WHEREAS, nonstop air service to Hawaii has grown significantly from Asia recently, including re-established service from Taipei, new service from Beijing, and expanded service from Shanghai; and

WHEREAS, although the absolute number of Chinese travelers to Hawaii is currently a fraction of the number of Japanese visitors to the State, the Chinese market is booming and poised to experience further growth while the Japanese market has plateaued and may decline; and

WHEREAS, over the past few decades, the hospitality industry in Hawaii has gained valuable insights and experience regarding the preferences and expectations of Japanese travelers and has worked diligently to create a welcoming environment for them; and

WHEREAS, as they have with Japanese visitors, it is crucially important that hotels, restaurants, stores, attractions, and other tourism-related businesses in Hawaii take measures to meet the unique needs and expectations of Chinese visitors; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Hawaii Tourism Authority is urged to coordinate with trade organizations, including the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, Hawaii Restaurant Association, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Hawaii Transportation Association, and others in the hospitality industry, to create a more welcoming environment for Chinese visitors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all tourism-related businesses in Hawaii are urged to, among other things:

(1) Hire additional Chinese-speaking staff;

(2) Provide training in Chinese culture to staff; and

(3) Make greater use of the Chinese language in signs and other written materials; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Hospitality Industry; Chinese Visitors; Hawaii Tourism Authority

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	35
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII