Sharing the aloha spirit with their Aussie and Kiwi ‘ohana (family), Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania brought 13 trade partners and more than 500 advisors together to feel the mana at five inspiring Aloha Down Under 2024 events, sharing the latest updates on the islands.
Staged in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in September, the Aloha Down Under 2024 B2B events, presented by Karryon Events, highlighted many key partners.
Together, these top suppliers cover 95 hotels and resorts across four islands, offer 140 daily flights and cruises to five ports plus a famous visitor attraction featured in 200-plus movies and TV shows in Kualoa Ranch Nature Reserve on O‘ahu.
Feeling the mana
To enjoy some island time, agents were treated to a unique Hawaiian cultural immersion through themed food, engaging presentations, music and dance performances and the opportunity to dive deeper through a dedicated trade marketplace and activities.
Attendees learnt the meaning of “aloha” and “mahalo“, swung their hips to hula and enjoyed traditional performances of dancers and musicians from Hawai‘i.
For a taste of the islands, advisors sampled hot and cold pupus (appetisers), such as a saimin noodle salad, garlic-chilli chicken and vegetarian miso spring rolls, alongside Aloha beef sliders and huli huli chicken and ‘sweet grinds’ like a Hula ice-cream pie and guava cake. Yum!
‘Ohana one-on-ones & presos
Through select partner theatre presentations and the free-flow travel expo format, advisors were also able to mix and mingle with key suppliers.
Trade partners on hand included Hawaiian Airlines, Norwegian Cruise Line and Air New Zealand (New Zealand events only).
Major hospitality groups and iconic properties Prince Resorts Hawai‘i, Highgate Hawai‘i, MacNaughton Hospitality, Marriott International, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Outrigger Resorts & Hotels, Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, Courtyard by Marriott O‘ahu North Shore and Hilton Resorts Hawai‘i were also in attendance.
In addition, attendees could win giveaways, including the major prize of a Hawai‘i holiday for two with return flights, eight nights’ accommodation and attraction passes.
HTO updates
Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania (HTO) shared its new 2025 campaign: ‘The People. The Place. The Hawaiian Islands.’ along with the latest updates on continuing tourism recovery.
The good news is Australia’s love affair with Hawai‘i is ongoing with a strong repeat visitor rate of 55.4 per cent.
HTO highlighted that Australians are staying an average of 8.8 days in Hawai‘i with almost one in five Aussies visiting another island as well as O‘ahu.
Some of the challenges include air capacity, which decreased by 2.3 per cent compared to 2023 with arrivals also down 10.2 per cent on last year.
While Maui was devasted by wildfires last year, HTO said the island is definitely open and welcomes visitors who travel with respect and patience to provide support to local businesses, including the opportunity for Mālama visitor volunteering.
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