The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) launched its first major social marketing campaign earlier this year, encouraging travelers to use the hashtag #LetHawaiiHappen when posting photos or videos of their Aloha State vacations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Robyn Basso
And while that campaign was aimed at consumers, Robyn Basso, the HVCB's senior director of travel industry partnerships, says her organization has been encouraging U.S. travel agents to consider the #LetHawaiiHappen hashtag from a "research perspective" and study the posts to learn more about Hawaii as a destination.
"We're trying to encourage agents to search that hashtag on social media outlets because that can really give them an idea about what types of activities visitors are posting," she said. "Hopefully, that may open their eyes and allow them to share things with their clients that are new and unique."
Meanwhile, Basso also suggests agents use the hashtag when posting about their own visits to Hawaii.
"They can not only share their experience and showcase their expertise to their friends and family," she said, "but also to clients they're connecting with through social media channels."