PBEC: International Secretariat: News: Hawaii’s Global Image Examined

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Hawaii’s Global Image Examined

PBEC President Tanonaka Supports State’s Efforts to
Foster International Business, Programs in Hawaii

HONOLULU (Jan. 13, 2003) - Speaking this afternoon before the newly-formed House Committee on International Affairs, PBEC President Dalton Tanonaka stressed the importance of boosting Hawaii’s business profile and the role the islands can play in encouraging trade and investment in the Pacific Basin as a whole.
“We need to market Hawaii as a business destination if we want business visitors to come,” Tanonaka said. “And if that means taking money from the leisure travel budget, that’s what you have to do.”
Tanonaka noted that Hawaii’s location serves the 1,000 members of PBEC, including Latin America, well.
“Our headquarters in Honolulu is fighting relocation because Hawaii has no business image,” he said.
Many participants agreed that in many industries, global preeminence is Hawaii’s to lose.
“Hawaii has a great brand - you don’t have to spend a single cent more to promote this place as a great vacation spot,” said Ted Liu, newly appointed director of the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). “But we need to look beyond that.” Stressing areas such as aquaculture, services exports and security, he noted: “Hawaii has the potential to become either the ‘Crossroads of the Pacific’ or the ‘Middle of Nowhere.’”
Also testifying yesterday were Joyce Tsunoda, Vice President of International Affairs at the University of Hawaii, Lawrence Foster, UH Law School Dean, and Frank Haas, Marketing Director with the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The House Committee is headed by Chair Rep. Helene Hale and Vice Chair Rep. K. Mark Takai. Also present were committee members Reps. Corinne Ching, Lynne Finnegan, Michael P. Kahikina, and Dennis Arakaki. Rep. Barbara Marumoto was also in attendance.
PBEC is an international association of senior business leaders representing 1,000 major corporations in 20 economies around the pacific, which together account for more than US$4 trillion in global sales and employ more than 10 million people. PBEC has been headquartered in Hawaii since 1992.
Media Contact:
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Manager, Information Technology & Communications
PBEC International Secretariat
900 Fort Street, Suite 1080
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 96813
E-Mail: ryan@pbec.org