The Hawaii Tourism Authority has released a new tourism video – with a difference.
Instead of trying to lure more travelers to the state, it is aimed squarely at local residents with the message: Tourism is your friend.
The campaign wants to show locals the benefits of the state’s biggest industry amid complaints about the effect of mass tourism.
People tend to focus on overcrowded beaches and increased congestion during the peak tourist season instead of the advantages of tourism employment and investment, says Leslie Dance, vice president for marketing and product development at the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
"It’s just a tendency for people to start complaining and so the thing is, let’s remind everybody again.’
Some critics say tourism only offers low paying jobs and exploits the Hawaiian culture.
The first video of the campaign shows Honolulu chef Mark Noguchi talking about his family’s role in the Hawaii tourism industry, saying: "Take care of tourism. It’s a family business."
Not everyone agrees.
"The admonishment that we should take care of tourism because it’s a family business is a slick seduction that wants to avert the public’s attention from the industry’s abuses," said Jonathan Osorio, a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii.
Last year the state welcomed a record number of visitors for the fourth year running with 8.6 million arrivals.
