Airlift problem from the United States mainland to Hawaii addressed

he Hawaii Tourism Association has said it welcomes additional budget allocation to address the airlift problem from the United States mainland to Hawaii.

Additional funding of $100,000 has been allocated by the Hawaii Tourism Authority for the Hawaii Visitor’s and Convention Center (HVCB) to address the lack of airline seats and rates available from the United States mainland to Hawaii.

The Hawaii Tourism Association has earlier announced that it had received thousands of responses from the travel industry, especially from the US mainland that Hawaii is unaffordable to families, and the consensus is that travel agents enjoy selling Hawaii’s tourism products, but are not able to do so due to airline rates.

“It’s our aim to share our findings with the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau,” added eTurboNews President and Hawaii Tourism Association founder Juergen Thomas Steinmetz. “We have received many valuable responses, which includes to lobby airlines to establish family rates.”

He added, “Some tour operators were suggesting charter flights to be substituted by the Hawaii Tourism Industry to attract families to travel to Hawaii.”

The Hawaii Tourism Association received more than 13,000 responses from travel industry professionals in 48 countries. Many responses from non-traditional Hawaii markets, including Singapore, the Middle East, Eastern Europe.

A number of these responses argued that despite a visa waiver status for their country, Hawaii has done nothing to help interested groups. “We identified many major tour operators in this market to be ready to start a dedicated Hawaii destination program,” added Mr. Steinmetz. “It is our hope that Hawaii Tourism Authority would allocate a budget for such activities.”

The Hawaii Tourism Association is a private initiative to help identify issues, explore new opportunities and markets for Hawaii, as well as assist with effective communication between the global travel industry, the industry in Hawaii, and state agencies.

Currently Hawaii Tourism Association is privately funded by eTurboNews publisher Juergen Thomas Steinmetz, a Hawaii-based global travel industry newsletter.

For more information on Hawaii Tourism Association, visit www.hawaiitourismassociation.com . Individuals and organizations interested are encouraged to sign up. There is no fee to join or get involved. The organization welcomes volunteers from all levels of the travel industry to get involved.