November 2011 WHAT S NEW IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS! Native Guide Hawai i on Hawai i Island is offering a new adventure tour, Hämäkua Express. Pack your walking shoes and camera for an all-day adventure with incredible sights that include a lava tube, sea cliffs, tropical valleys, and waterfalls along the Hämäkua coast. Visitors will also get a chance to experience plantation towns, the Laupähoehoe Train Museum, and the magical Waipi o Valley. For more information, visit NativeGuideHawaii.com.! City slickers can now get a taste of the country at the new Ala Moana Farmers Market open every Saturday from 9 a.m. 1 p.m. on the upper deck near Sears at O ahu s Ala Moana Center. The market features more than 50 vendors offering a variety of local meat, produce, bread, coffee and food. For more information, visit AlaMoanaFarmersMarket.com.! For visitors looking for a unique water experience, Red Dolphin offers an array of ocean activities in one stop. The floating recreation island anchored off Waikïkï Beach (O ahu) offers guests an all-day experience with activities for every age, including a water trampoline, diving platforms, water toys and a floating bar and grill. Other available activities include jet skis, snorkeling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboards and parasailing. Red Dolphin is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with boat shuttles to and from Kewalo Basin every hour. For more information, visit IslandonWater.com.
Page 2! See your favorite stars in action when the celebrated tribute artist production Legends in Concert debuts an all-new show December 8 at Royal Hawaiian Center on O ahu. The hour long show will play six nights a week year round in the 700-seat Royal Hawaiian Theatre and feature acts paying tribute to the likes of some of Hollywood s most famous artists past and present including Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Madonna, and Prince. In all, Legends in Concert features more than 80 different superstar personas that are rotated through its numerous domestic and international venues. For more information, visit RoyalHawaiianCenter.com.! The Lyman Museum on Hawai i Island will feature a special exhibit, Hawai i s Volcanoes: 1800s to Present, from December 9, 2011 through March 3, 2012. The exhibit celebrates Hawaiian Volcano Observatory s centennial and will showcase paintings from the museum s collections, as well as volcanic specimens and written accounts of eruptions from missionary Sarah Lyman. For more information, visit LymanMuseum.org.! Romance your loved one with JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa s (O ahu) new Ihilani Lanai Dining service. Guests can choose from either the three- or five-course menu and have the option to dine on either their lanai (balcony) or on the Lagoon Lawn in their own secluded area. For more information, visit Ihilani.com.! The new Sunset Luau at Hawai i Island s beachfront Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa offers guests the chance to experience the vibrant dance and cultures of Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa and Hawai i in one event. Every Saturday and Wednesday on the resort s Lü au Grounds, guests can enjoy watching dinner prepared in an imu (underground oven, Samoan fire knife dancing, keiki (children) hula lessons, and Hawaiian entertainment. For more information, visit SunsetLuau.com.
Page 3! The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort (O ahu), in partnership with Matson Navigation Company has opened a new exhibit, Hollywood s Golden Age in Waikiki. The exhibit features photos of Hollywood stars visiting The Royal Hawaiian and Hawai i from the 1920s to the 1940s. For more information, visit Royal-Hawaiian.com.! Guests staying at any Outrigger resort condominium on Maui can now say I Do again with a complimentary vow renewal ceremony. Every Wednesday at 2 p.m., couples can recommit their love to each other during an ocean-side service at Merriman s Kapalua complete with a lei exchange, Hawaiian chant, and a vow renewal certificate. For more information, visit OutriggerCondos.com. NEW DEVELOPMENTS! Turtle Bay Resort on O ahu s North Shore in partnership with Surfer Magazine opened Surfer, The Bar on November 15. The concept for the new restaurant and bar revolves around the Hawai i waterman lifestyle and offers guests a family friendly environment to enjoy film, food, music, drink, and photography. For more information, visit TurtleBayResort.com.! Hawai i Island s King Kamehameha s Kona Beach Hotel is now part of the Marriott ohana (family) and has been renamed the Courtyard King Kamehameha s Kona Beach Hotel. Visitors are invited to come and experience the new changes that have taken place including a newly renovated lobby, six new event rooms, and the return of its 40-piece Herb Kane exhibit. For more information, visit KonaBeachHotel.com.! The Hawai i Tourism Authority (HTA) recently launched their first smartphone application, Festivals of Hawai i. The free app, available on itunes for iphone, ipod and ipad, offers details for more than 100 events across the islands. Users can also search for an event by island, category, or location, using a Near Me button. For more information, visit FestivalsofHawaii.com.
Page 4! The Prince Golf Course at Princeville on Kaua i will reopen on March 1, 2012 after undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. The yearlong project included reconstruction of the putting greens, remodeling of bunkers, adding new tees and leveling current ones, and other improvements to help keep the course consistently maintained. For more information, visit Princeville.com.! Ho ola Hana Hou (Heal and Renew) is a new spa experience available at The Kahala Hotel and Resort on O ahu. The program includes a neck, upper torso, arm and back massage; scalp massage and conditioning treatment; and a restorative and re-hydrating Rice Force facial treatment. Rice Force is a line of beauty products from Japan. For more information, visit KahalaResort.com. TRANSPORTATION! Hawaiian Airlines will soon be saying aloha to the Big Apple when it begins daily nonstop service between New York City s JFK International Airport and Honolulu (O ahu) next summer. The new service will commence on June 4, 2012 with the inaugural Hawaiian Flight 50 departing Honolulu at 3:05 p.m. and arriving in New York City at 6:55 a.m. the following morning. The return flight from New York departs at 10:00 a.m. and arrives in O ahu at 3:00 p.m. Maui will get a huge lift from California s Bay Area when Hawaiian Airlines begins its nonstop service from San Jose and adds year round direct flights from Oakland starting in January 2012. The San Jose-Maui service will begin January 10 and operate three days a week with flights from Kahului departing on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 1:25 p.m. and arriving in San Jose at 8:25 p.m. The return flight will depart the next day at 8:10 a.m. and arrive in Maui at 11:45 a.m. Starting January 11, flights between Oakland and Maui will operate four times a week with departures from Kahului on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1:25 p.m.
Page 5 Returning flights leave Oakland on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8:10 a.m. and arrive in Kahului at 11:40 a.m. Beginning December 14, Hawaiian Airlines will increase service between Sydney (Australia) and Honolulu (O ahu) from five times a week to daily flights year round. The nonstop flight departs Sydney Airport (Australia) at 9:20 p.m. and arrives at Honolulu International Airport (O ahu) the same day at 10:10 a.m. The return flight departs Honolulu at 11:50 a.m. and arrives in Sydney the next day at 7:20 p.m. For more information, visit HawaiianAirlines.com.! Alaska Airlines continues to expand its Hawai i service with the launch of its daily nonstop service between San Diego (California) and Honolulu (O ahu) on November 17. The flight departs San Diego at 9:15 a.m. and arrives in Honolulu at 1:15 p.m. The return flight will depart Honolulu at 3:40 p.m. and arrive in San Diego at 11:15 p.m. Alaska Airlines is also adding daily nonstop flights between Oakland and San Jose (California) to Lïhu e (Kaua i) and Kona (Hawai i Island) beginning March 12, 2012. Alaska previously only offered three flights a week from San Jose to Lïhu e and Oakland to Kona and four flights a week from San Jose to Kona and Oakland to Lïhu e. For more information, visit AlaskaAir.com. ACCOLADES! Three Hawaiian Islands have been named to U.S. News and World Report s 16 Best Adventure Vacations in the USA. The rankings were based on recommendations of travel writers and the recommendations of the magazine s website users to one another and suggest locations where travelers can experience a more thrilling vacation. Kaua i ranked the highest at No. 3, followed by Maui at No. 4 and Hawai i Island at No. 7. For more information, visit Travel.USNews.com.
Page 6! For the 21 st straight year, Maui was named the Best U.S. Island in the 24 th annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards. The Hawaiian Islands dominated the U.S. list with Kaua i at No. 2, Hawai i Island and O ahu tying for No. 4, and Läna i at No. 6. Readers also voted on Hawai i s top resorts, and Travaasa Häna on Maui earned the top spot. Rounding out the top five resorts on the list are: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk on O ahu, Four Seasons Resort Hualälai at Historic Ka üpülehu on Hawai i Island, and Four Seasons Resort Läna i at Manele Bay. For more information, visit Concierge.com.! The American Planning Association (APA) recently named Front Street in Lahaina, Maui one of the 10 Great Streets in America. Front Street is known as a historic town with a colorful past with art galleries, local cuisine and innovative restaurants that overlook Lahaina Harbor. For more information, visit VisitMaui.com.! The Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk, O ahu s only all-suite resort, has earned the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2011. The award is based on guest reviews and is only given to establishments that consistently receive excellent reviews. Currently, the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is ranked seventh among all hotels in Honolulu. For more information, visit EmbassySuitesWaikiki.com.! Honolulu chef George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro s restaurant received the Culinary Excellence Award by the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). Chef Mavro is only the second American to win the prestigious award and the first from Hawai i. For more information, visit ChefMavro.com. -pau-
Page 7 Special note to media: The Hawai i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) recognizes the use of the okina [ ] or glottal stop, one of the eight consonants of the (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakö [ä] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai i such as Läna i). However, HVCB respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses. The Hawai i Visitors and Convention Bureau is contracted by the Hawai i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state of Hawai i s tourism agency, for marketing management services in North America. The HTA was established in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is to strategically manage Hawai i tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with the state of Hawai i s economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs. Media Contacts: Darlene Morikawa Nathan Kam Director, PR/Communications Vice President Hawai i Visitors and Convention Bureau McNeil Wilson Communications E-mail: dmorikawa@hvcb.org E-mail: Nathan.Kam@AnthologyGroup.com Phone: 808-924-0259 Phone: 808-539-3471