HONOLULU -- Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano, addressing the ASTA congress
here last week, emphasized his commitment to the state's No. 1
industry and credited agents with much of Hawaii's success.
Cayetano said he had been asked to sign a letter supporting
airline efforts to get more concessions from Congress, but, he
said, "Maybe we need to make sure we don't bail out those airlines
if they sink [travel agents]."
He also reminded the audience that he was the only governor to
waive landing fees because the state was so worried about the
reduction of flights.
As for agents, Cayetano said, "You have the tool ... for
providing quality personal services for your clients, and, for
Hawaii, I think that still means something.
"Somehow, I think that reading the stuff on the Internet just
doesn't do it."
Meanwhile, he said, global conditions that generally undercut
travel are not necessarily a barrier to Hawaii sales.
Hawaii, "one of the most relaxing and safe destinations," he
said, is more relevant than ever.
Cayetano added that in the future, savvy agents will look for
fresh niche markets such as education and biotechnology-related
business.
The governor highlighted the recent groundbreaking of the John
A. Burns School of Medicine and biomedical research park, which he
said he believes will "open up new opportunities in the travel
business."