NEW YORK -- Dr. Richard Kelley, chairman of the board of Outrigger
Enterprises, will be a keynote speaker at the Honeymoon &
Romantic Getaways Show and Conference with Great Spas.
The event will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center in
Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 3 and 4.
The family-owned Outrigger Enterprises is Hawaii's largest hotel
company, with 70 owned or managed hotels in Hawaii, the Pacific
region and the mainland U.S.
Kelley is a member of the executive committee of the World
Travel & Tourism Council and was elected to the Hawaii Business
Hall of Fame.
As an active participant in Hawaii tourism, he is in a position
to know firsthand the power of the honeymoon and romantic getaway
markets as well as the spa niche, all of which are experiencing
healthy growth.
"In this time, when travel agents are having a difficult time
after losing airline commissions, here is a market where people
need a travel agent to get the best possible kinds of packages,"
Kelley said.
Clients in the honeymoon, romantic getaway and spa markets are
"often upscale," he said, and often busy.
"They don't have time to go into all the details of the vacation
on their own," Kelley said. "It's an ideal market for today's
travel agents."
Outrigger recently added spas to two resorts it cobrands with
Marriott: the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and the Wailea Marriott.
"We've seen the whole spa area grow tremendously," Kelley said.
"There's a lot more demand for it. There is a lot of stress these
days, and more and more people are taking time out for romance and
spa vacations."
Travel Weekly is a sponsor of the show. Other sponsors of the
show include TravelAge West, the Cruise Lines International
Association, the U.S Tour Operators Association and Modern Agent.
The Travel Institute, formerly ICTA, is participating as an
educational partner.
Cosponsors include Giants, Travelsavers, the Outside Sales
Support Network and the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Sandals
and Windstar Cruises will be among the special-event sponsors.
To register, call (925) 249-2233 or log on to www.honeymoonshow.com.