Backlash Against Company Events Cost State US$58.8M
Governor asks Obama to back corporate travel to Hawaii
HONOLULU, HI - More than 130 businesses and other groups that had planned to travel to Hawaii for conventions and meetings have canceled their trips so far this year because of the recent backlash against such company-sponsored events, state tourism officials said yesterday.
The cancellations cost the state an estimated US$58.8 million in direct loss of revenue, amounting to a total economic impact of US$97.6 million, according to Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle's office.
The estimates were included in a letter sent to President Obama this week urging him to support the market for "conventions, meetings, and incentives" travel.
Lingle released the letter publicly yesterday, which she and the lieutenant governor signed along with the county mayors and 90 tourism and community officials.
"This current atmosphere that brands legitimate CMI travel as excess has resulted in 132 group cancellations of meetings and incentive trips to Hawaii so far this year and next, representing a loss of 87,003 room nights," the letter said. In addition to the lost revenue, the cancellations have resulted in the loss of 694 full- and part-time jobs from all of the visitor industry, according to the letter.
Las Vegas Mayor
The letter was a response to the president's comments discouraging corporate excess made nearly two months ago.
On February 9 during a town hall meeting in Indiana, Obama said Wall Street executives must show restraint if they expect government help. "You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime."
The White House later clarified the president's remarks after the Mayor of Las Vegas sent a letter to Obama saying the comments were hurting the city's tourism business.
In a media briefing on March 12, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama did not intend to discourage travel with his remarks. Gibbs said the president was referring specifically to companies "that are getting large amounts of public funding."
"Let's be clear about what the president said. I don't think the president said, 'Don't go to Las Vegas' or 'Don't go to Hawaii' or 'Don't go to the Super Bowl," Gates told reporters at a briefing.
"What the president expressed some concern about was companies that are getting large amounts of public funding, taxpayer funding, through a financial stabilization plan, that the president does have great concern with public money being used for that.
"But the president believes it's important to have a strong tourism industry and that it's important that ... that we shouldn't retrench or pull back from; that he would encourage people to travel," Gibbs said.
Key part of the mix
Tourism advocates who met with Obama praised the White House statement.
The Lingle letter stressed that people who come to the Islands for conventions, meetings, and incentive rewards are a very important part of the visitor mix. In 2008, those visitors totaled 442,000, representing about 7 percent of total visitor arrivals.
The letter continued: "In this period of economic downturn when our government and businesses are striving to restore economic stability, the last thing we should do is implement policies or encourage behavior that jeopardizes any industry, especially one that has such a far-reaching impact on communities all across America."
It further raises concerns "about the adverse effects caused by the well-intentioned efforts to address the problem of corporate excess and business travel for the companies who have received emergency finding from the government."
That perception is fueling a further downturn in business travel in Hawaii, "where we have struggled to position our islands as a place to do business, as well as a leisure vacation destination," it said.
The letter concludeD: "We appreciate your recent comments encouraging travel and urge you to oppose any measure that would unfairly restrict the ability for companies to use CMI travel as a legitimate business tool."
Comments
I agree with this botcott 100%. In the last 15 years I have spent a week in Hawaii with my family about a dozen times. Another trip was in the planning stage for this year for myself and my three kids and their families.
Sorry Hawaii I will never set foot on any of your islands again. So it is off to the Caribbean this year for all of us.
Honoring this religion, if you want to call it that is disgusting. My repulsion of your actions can only be answered by refusing to ever come there again and spread the word to others to stay out.
BOYCOTT HAWAII TRAVEL
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/BARKABOUTIT/MessageBoards/tabid/64/view/t...
I am sick and tired of politicians doing what they want thinking we
won't do
anything about it. These scum bags passed an ISLAM DAY in Hawaii. You
say why souldn't we honor a religion that promotes 50 & 60 year old
perverts from taking 8 year old brides, I don't know. So what they
believe it is alright for men to rape their women, is that really that
bad? But it was founded by a known child molester, we can over look
that. I mean is it that wrong to send out followers to mame and kill
babies, women and anyone else that doesn't believe as they do, after
all it is a religion of peace. As for beheadings, Make them family
affairs and they can actually serve to strenghten family bonds...YEA
RIGHT!!!!! Wonder why all the other religions aren't honored by those
enlightened politicians in Hawaii?
BOYCOTT ALL HAWAII TRAVEL AND THE SITES THAT PROMOTE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please pass this around so it spreads and becomes a stateside cause.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090507/ap_on_re_us/us_islam_day_3
Hawaii lawmakers back the creation of 'Islam Day'
By MARK NIESSE, Associated Press Writer Mark Niesse, Associated Press
Writer –
38 mins ago
HONOLULU – Hawaii's state Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill
Wednesday to
celebrate "Islam Day" — over the objections of a few lawmakers who said
=0
Athey
didn't want to honor a religion connected to Sept.=2
011, 2001.
The Senate's two Republicans argued that a minority of Islamic
extremists have
killed many innocents in terrorist attacks.
"I recall radical Islamists around the world cheering the horrors of
9/11. That
is the day all civilized people of all religions should remember," said
Republican Sen. Fred Hemmings to the applause of more than 100 people
gathered
in the Senate to oppose a separate issue — same-sex civil unions.
The resolution to proclaim Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day passed the
Senate on a
22-3 vote. It had previously passed the House.
The bill seeks to recognize "the rich religious, scientific, cultural
and
artistic contributions" that Islam and the Islamic world have made. It
does not
call for any spending or organized celebration of Islam Day.
"We are a state of tolerance. We understand that people have different
beliefs,"
said Sen. Will Espero, a Democrat. "We may not all agree on every
single item
and issue out there, but to say and highlight the negativity of the
Islamic
people is an insult to the majority" of believers "who are good
law-abiding
citizens of the world."
But Republican Sen. Sam Slom argued that the United States has become
too
sympathetic toward Islamic extremists.
"I don't think there's any country in the history of the world that has
been
more tolerant than the United State
s of America, and because of that
tolerance,
we've looked the other way a lot of times, and many thousands of our
citizens
have been killed by terrorists," said Slom, a Republican.
The lone Democrat voting against the bill opposed it on church-state
separation
fears.
___
On the Net:
HCR100: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov
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