For Immediate Release

WHAT'S NEW IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS - JANUARY 2012

EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS

• Malibu Shirts Waikiki located at Waikiki Beach Walk (Oahu) welcomes a monthly presentation of Hawaiian Hanabata Days. In Hawaii, hanabata is a word that refers to one’s childhood, and visitors and locals alike are invited to take a look back into Hawaii’s past through stories told by notable local icons and legends including:
  
  • Ted’s Bakery (home of the famous chocolate haupia pie) – February 12
  • surf legends Ricky Gregg, Peter Cole, and Rabbit Kekai – March 18
  • Primo Beer – April 15
  • PanAm Aloha Chapter and Pacific Aviation Museum – May 13
  • Anna Trent Moore, author of “Increments of Fear” – July 15

For more information, contact Adam Mendoza at 808-923-0306.

• The Pearl Harbor Historic Sites on Oahu recently introduced the Passport to Pearl Harbor, a new two-day ticket option to help visitors experience several distinct historic sites that are often too challenging to cover in one day. The 'passport' is available exclusively for purchase at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center for $65 per adult and $35 per child and includes: the official Pearl Harbor Audio Tour; USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park museum admission and submarine audio tour; Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor admission; and Battleship Missouri Memorial admission and the choice between four tours. Passport holders can return to Pearl Harbor within seven days of their initial visit at no additional charge. For more information, visit PacificHistoricParks.org. 

• Save money on admission to 10 of Hawaii Island’s best-known cultural, historical, and science centers with the Big Island Museum Pass now available for $8. The pass provides a savings of up to $54 for two adults and includes entry to the following participating museums: Lyman Museum, Imiloa Astronomy Center, Pacific Tsunami, Laupahoehoe Train Muesum, Anna Ranch, Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Space Center, Hulihee Palace, Kona Historical Society’s H.N. Greenwell Store and Kona Coffee Farm, and Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. For more information, visit DestinationHilo.com. 

• Step off the beaten path and join Wild Hawaii Ocean Adventures on Hawaii Island for a five-hour excursion south along the Kona coast to an isolated green sand beach accessible only by boat. Guests will relax, soak up the sun, and have lunch at the private beach before heading back on a Fast Boat Ride near the shoreline for views of lava tubes, blow holes, incredible rock formations, and other points of interest. For more information, visit Wild-Hawaii.com. 

• Get a behind-the-scenes view of Maui’s pineapple heritage during an exclusive experience with Maui Pineapple Tours. The tour begins on the pineapple farm where guests will observe the harvesting, packing and shipping process, then enjoy a pineapple-themed lunch at Maui’s acclaimed Haliimaile General Store featuring the sweet Maui Gold pineapple. For more information, visit AdventureMaui.com/Pineapple_Tour. 

• DFS Galleria Waikiki on Oahu has recently expanded its second floor dubbed Beauty World featuring a new Beauty Concierge to provide the largest retail space in Hawaii dedicated to beauty with more than 20,000 square feet. The new complimentary concierge service offers shoppers a one-on-one consultation with a licensed aesthetician who’ll provide a skincare analysis using a Skin Imaging Machine and Light Therapy Device then recommend products based on your skin assessment. Additional services include complimentary hand and foot massages, makeup applications and trend techniques, beauty tips, complimentary engraving, and beauty workshops and seminars.  For more information, visit DFSGalleria.com. 

• Shoppers at Oahu’s Waikiki Beach Walk can now relax and recharge in between shopping sprees at the new Shiatsu & Massage Center, which recently relocated from the Waikiki Trade Center. In addition to its menu of spa treatments, Shiatsu & Massage Center also offers a free weekly Yoga class at the Waikiki Beach Walk’s Plaza Stage and lawn every Wednesday from 4-4:45 p.m. For more information, visit ShiatsuMassageCenter.com. 

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

• Beginning in March, Oahu’s Honolulu Academy of Arts will be renamed Honolulu Museum of Art to help identify it as an art museum. The name change also affects the former Contemporary Museum in Makiki Heights, which was integrated into the academy last year and has been referred to as the Spalding House, the Academy Art Center at Linekona, and the Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Bank. The Contemporary Museum, or Spalding House, will become the Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House, the Art Center at Linekona will become the Honolulu Museum of Art School, and The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center will become the Honolulu Museum of Art at First Hawaiian Center. For more information, visit HonoluluAcademy.org. 

• The OHANA Waikiki Malia on Oahu recently unveiled a newly renovated patio and its first ever lounge pool and whirlpool spa for guests to relax and rejuvenate without having to hit the beach. The hotel also opened two new eateries, Slice of Waikiki, a grab-and-go pizza counter, and Rivals Waikiki sports bar which will expand out to the patio in the evenings offering guests a fresh outdoor setting to have fun and enjoy refreshments. For more information, visit OhanaHotelsOahu.com. 

TRANSPORTATION

• Travelers up and down the east coast will soon have easier access to the Hawaiian Islands thanks to a new deal between Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways. The partnership will complement Hawaiian’s new nonstop service between New York’s JFK Airport and Honolulu (Oahu) beginning June 5. Visitors from New England to Florida will be able to catch a JetBlue morning flight to New York, and then connect on Hawaiian Flight 51 departing at 10 a.m. and arrive in Hawaii by 3 p.m. Customers can purchase single tickets combining travel on both carriers and will be able to redeem HawaiianMiles and TrueBlue frequent flyer points or miles for travel on either carrier. For more information, visit HawaiianAirlines.com or JetBlue.com. 
  
  Hawaiian Airlines has introduced four new neighbor island travel plans that allow customers to save money on interisland travel over a year. By purchasing a plan, travelers save up to 14 percent off Hawaiian’s current lowest web fares for nonstop travel between Honolulu and Lihue (Kauai), Kahului (Maui), Hilo and Kona (Hawaii Island). For more information, visit HawaiianAirlines.com/Neighbor-Island-Travel-Plan. 
  
  Tickets for Hawaiian Airlines new daily nonstop service between Fukuoka, Japan and Honolulu are now available for purchase. The inaugural flight from Honolulu International Airport to Fukuoka Airport departs on April 16 at 1:20 p.m. and arrives at 6:40 p.m. the following day. The return flight departs Japan at 9:00 p.m. and arrives in Hawaii at 10:00 a.m. the same day. 
  
  Beginning in June, Hawaiian Airlines will permanently add a third daily flight between Los Angeles (California) and Honolulu. Hawaiian’s Flight 3 will depart Los Angeles International Airport daily at 10:30 a.m. and arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 1:10 p.m. The return flight #4 will leave Honolulu daily at 10:20 p.m. and arrive in Los Angeles the following morning at 6:45 a.m. For more information, visit HawaiianAirlines.com. 

• GreenCar Hawaii recently launched an electric vehicle car sharing service at Oahu’s DoubleTree by Hilton Alana Waikiki Hotel to service visitors looking for an eco-friendly mode of transportation. GreenCar currently has four 100 percent electric Nissan Leaf vehicles available for rent by the hour or per day and two, Level 2 commercial charging stations located in the DoubleTree Waikiki parking lot. Reservations can be made online, by phone, or at the GreenCar kiosk in the hotel lobby. The kiosk also serves as a check in station and the GreenCar is delivered directly to guests by the hotel valet. For more information, visit GreenCarHawaii.com. 

ACCOLADES

• The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) was recently recognized by two industry publications for providing excellent service to groups in the corporate meetings and incentives industry. HVCB received a Platinum Choice Award from Smart Meetings magazine and a Platinum Partner Award from Incentive magazine after receiving enough votes from the magazines’ readers. For more information, visit SmartMeetings.com and IncentiveMag.com.