Hawaiian Clothes

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business — ADVERTISEMENT — Sunday, October 17, 2004 DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Yoshi Takahashi amuses his friends Kimi Toi and Michi Ogino with a wetsuit that's a little too small at the Xcel store in the Ward Village Shops. Hey! Big spenders New research shows just where tourists drop their money during stays in Hawaii By Allison Schaefers aschaefers@starbulletin.com ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRYANT FUKUTOMI / BFUKUTOMI@STARBULLETIN.COM China / South Korea travelers » More than 50 percent of these Asian visitors are first-timers and about a quarter of them come as part of a package tour. » Most come to visit friends or family (more than 28 percent), on business, or as part of a stopover, as stringent Visa requirements and a lack of flights has made Hawaii a difficult vacation destination. » In terms of activities, they are statistically similar to Americans, but plan to spend more money. » Most plan to attend a luau and 30 percent intend to play golf, the most of any other group surveyed. United States travelers » American travelers plan to stay longer and spend the least amount of money on retail and souvenirs. » They are most likely to engage in sports like running, scuba or going to the gym, but have the smallest percentage of people who planned to swim or sunbathe. » Americans are more likely to attend a luau, go to a Hawaiian history or cultural event and buy Hawaiian clothing and souvenirs than Japan or other Asian travelers. » They enjoy shopping at convenience stores, malls or hotel stores. They are also the most likely to go to a museum or art gallery or eat in high-end restaurants. Japan travelers » More than 60 percent of Japan travelers come to Hawaii as part of a package group. » These visitors plan to stay the least amount of time and spend the most money. » They are most likely to come to Hawaii to celebrate a wedding or honeymoon than any other group. » They are most interested in going to the beach and shopping while in Hawaii, but few plan to do any activities or eat in high-end restaurants. » They enjoy shopping across the board from outlet and discount stores to designer boutiques. While tourists from Japan and the mainland still pump plenty of money into Hawaii's retail stores, a more global mix of visitors is at the heart of Hawaii's improved tourism outlook, and their preferences are worlds apart. A new cross-cultural study from the University of Hawaii is available to help retailers take stock of what tourists buy, so local stores can match merchandise with spending habits. University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears randomly surveyed more than 1,000 Waikiki tourists to determine cultural differences regarding their reasons for coming to Hawaii, their desire to shop and what purchases they planned to make during their stay. "Not all tourists are alike," Rosenbaum said. "Your target market should greatly impact how you merchandise and what products you stock." Hawaii's retail history gives businesses strong reasons to diversify their customer base, said retail analyst Stephany Sofos. "In the 1980s, the Japanese people came fast and furious and those who didn't cater to them were left out. Now it's changing, and as visitor groups change, retailers are having to figure out what their market is from one day to the next," Sofos said. The University of Hawaii study can help tourist-dependent businesses identify how to best keep their customers happy and how to increase spending from other visitor groups, Spears said. Their research showed that Japanese tourists plan to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, which is substantially more than all other visitor groups. According to the study, Chinese and Koreans spend about $750 on retail items and Americans spend around $600. They also found differences when it came to purchasing local foods, clothing and engaging in outdoor activities as well as differences in why these tourists groups were coming to Hawaii. For example, Americans and Japanese came to Hawaii primarily to vacation, while the Chinese and South Korean visitors were in Hawaii primarily to visit family members. Chinese visitors can only travel for leisure to a few designations, which does not include Hawaii. "Most Japanese will spend their vacation shopping at both high-end and discount retailers," Rosenbaum said, adding that data also confirmed the love-affair Japanese have with designer items. Nearly 60 percent of the Japanese visitors surveyed planned to visit Hawaii's designer boutiques; in contrast, only 35 percent of Americans planned to do so. However, the number of Japan travelers who plan to purchase products made in Hawaii, such as coffee, food and clothing, is lower than other groups. "The Japanese are the answer to our luxury business - not our economy," Rosenbaum said, adding that purchases of locally made products create more jobs and ultimately bring more benefit to the state. Visitors, who spend about $3 billion annually on retail goods in Hawaii, make up about 15 percent of the state's $19 billion retail market, said Carol Pregill, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. The islands drew 6.4 million visitors last year, about two-thirds of them from the mainland. "Shopping is the third largest expenditure, next to food and lodging, for visitors," Pregill said, adding that about 20 percent of visitor expenditures can be attributed to shopping. "That's huge when you consider that shopping is a discretionary expense," Pregill said, and is an important part of a visitor's experience. But to make Hawaii shopping attractive to visitors it has to be distinctive, said Frank Haas, marketing director for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "You can shop in Hong Kong and Las Vegas; what we need to know is what's distinctive about shopping in Hawaii," Haas said. As Oahu's visitor market stays strong, many retailers are going to take advantage of more visitor-based opportunities, said Jeffrey Hall, senior director of research at CB Richard Ellis. "There's huge amount of interest in redoing resort retail, especially in Waikiki," Hall said. According to market reports, Waikiki has a high number of retail vacancies, but in three to four years the sector will be more bullish as Waikiki renovation projects come to fruition, Hall forecasts. "The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is rapidly changing. The Beach Walk and the International Market Place projects are just getting under way," Hall said. "Expect that in a few years Waikiki will be an entirely different place." Any shift in visitor demographics changes the way businesses advertise their products. "It's important to know who is coming and what you need for inventory," Pregill said. "Inventory is a huge expense and no one wants to be stuck with goods that no one want to buy." That's where the Rosenbaum and Spears study comes in, said Anne Murata, marketing director of the Festival Cos., which manages the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Murata said she purchased the study because it's the first retail survey in Hawaii that breaks data into small categories such as visitors' reasons for traveling to Hawaii, ability to spend and where they spend their money. Retailers are especially interested on the data about Chinese and South Korean visitors, she said. While Chinese and Korean visitors have more in common with Americans in terms of overall spending, their spending habits are very similar to the Japanese visitor market when it was new, Murata said. In the 1990s, when the Japanese tourism boom to Hawaii was growing, the state's largest industry went to great lengths to cater to their needs. Japanese signs ruled Waikiki marketing; but then the bubble burst and retailers had to regroup to stay in business. "We've been trained to think only in terms of U.S. westbound and Japan travelers," she said. "But our retail market is becoming increasingly global and we're starting to see more travelers from China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the U.S. East." Japanese visitor arrivals to Hawaii, which peaked at 2.2 million in 1997, fell to 1.3 million last year in response to a weakened Japanese economy and geopolitical troubles. Retailers say the market has rebounded, but it's time for those eyeing Hawaii's improved market to use the isles' changing tourist patterns to help determine what's in store. Although the China travel market to Hawaii is small, representing less than 1 percent of Hawaii's total visitors in 2002, state officials have identified it as a market with enormous potential. New research shows that Chinese tourists are now the biggest spenders in the Asia-Pacific region by average credit card transaction size, according to a study released by Visa. The report, published last week in the Financial Times, said Chinese cardholders on average spent $253 per transaction while traveling. The World Tourism Organization has also estimated that China will produce 100 million outbound tourists by 2020 and members of Hawaii's public and private sector want their share. "Just like we geared retail to the Japan market in its heyday, someday I expect we'll see retail signs in Chinese and Korean, too," Murata said. According to the Rosenbaum and Spears survey, the Chinese, enjoy participating in new activities, but look for familiarity in restaurants - characteristics similar to Japanese visitors before Hawaii became a common destination, "They only want to eat in Chinese restaurants," Rosenbaum said. But, more important for retailers is that the Chinese also appear to have a taste for luxury goods. "The Chinese, like the Japanese, also want to purchase luxury goods as gifts to take home," Spears said. While retailers need accurate data to capture their audience, there is one sure plan that works across cultures, Murata said. "One thing you can always sell them is the aloha spirit - that's an approach that works with visitors from China to Lithuania," Murata said. BACK TO TOP | The Hawaii experience A new University of Hawaii study of tourist spending habits raised some interesting questions. For instance, do Japan travelers, who planned to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, really contribute the most money to Hawaii's economy? While Americans, who planned to spend about $600 on retail, and Chinese/ Koreans, who planned to spend about $750, lagged behind in overall spending, the data showed that these groups spent significantly more on made-in-Hawaii products. The percentage of visitors planning to buy each product: Items USA / Canada Japan China / South Korea Hawaiian coffee 53.1 38.4 70.8 Macadamia nuts 66.8 52.2 75.5 Pineapples 37.4 7.3 30.2 Hawaiian candies 35.7 12.3 35.8 Hawaiian clothing 47.3 21.7 43.4 Hawaiian souvenirs 60.9 41.1 58.5 Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears Where it all goes Percentage of visitors doing the following activities: Activities U.S. Japan China/Korea Honeymoon/wedding 6.8 18.2 4.7 Visit family/friends 13.4 3.8 28.3 Part of Packaged tour 15.8 61.3 25.5 Buying designer clothes 29.2 34.9 37.7 Golf 16.0 5.6 30.2 Tour bus 30.9 25.2 37.7 Beach 77.4 78.3 84.0 Fine dining 58.2 8.5 49.1 Culture/History 64.2 27.3 43.4 Luau 59.7 16.1 62.3 Designer boutiques 35.1 59.2 41.5 Mall 65.4 74.5 75.5 Characteristics of visitors' stays: Visit U.S. Japan China/Korea Planned Expenditures $644 $1,416 $745 Length of Stay in Hawaii 12 days 7 days 11 days Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears — ADVERTISEMENTS — — ADVERTISEMENTS — | | | PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION E-mail to Business Editor BACK TO TOP Text Site Directory: [News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!] [Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor] [Feedback] © 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com -Advertisement-

Hawaiian shirts (also known

American Textile History Museum - Exhibitions - Let’s Go Hawaiian! > Current Exhibitions > Past Exhibitions > Future Exhibitions January 31, 2004– June 20, 2004 Let’s Go Hawaiian! Hawaiian shirts (also known as Aloha shirts), have become the recognized symbol of this tropical paradise. The bold, colorful patterns illustrate the lifestyle, culture, flowers, foliage and heritage of the Hawaiian Islands. The American Textile History Museum presents a special exhibition, Let’s Go Hawaiian from January to June, 2004. It is a fanciful look at our fascination with Hawaii, its influence on mainstream culture, and a lighthearted exploration of the cult of the Hawaiian shirt. The exhibit tells the story of our enchantment with Waikiki through the exhibition of over 150 shirts from the 1930s through the 60s. The exhibit invites you to step off a cruise ship into a make-believe vacation in paradise. The illusion is supported by tourist memorabilia, maps, tropical scenery, and other artifacts representative of our notions of what Hawaii was and is. From early surfers, cruise ships and the burgeoning tourist trade to Elvis, the Beach Boys and Parrot Heads, the sounds, colors, styles and ethos of ‘Blue Hawaii’ will be resident at ATHM during the run of the special exhibition. Shirt #60 Long sleeves, spread collar Rayon, coconut buttons Green ground with yellow, orange, gray, and black Design: Whole and sliced pineapples Label: “MADE IN HAWAII FOR / The Liberty House / HONOLULU” The Liberty House was one of the oldest and most respected department stores in Hawaii, and they sold shirts produced by local island manufacturers. Shirt #66 Short sleeves, spread collar Rayon, wood buttons Yellow ground with white, blue, reddish brown Design: Vignettes of people, including hula dancers, ukulele players, surfers, King Kamehameha state; Hawaiian motifs, including flowers, leis, pineapples, palm trees; words, including “OAHU, OLOKAI, HAWAII, WAIKIKI, KAMEHAMEHA, HONOLULU, STATE OF HAWAII” Label: “Kuu-Ipo / MADE IN HAWAII” Shirt #126 Short sleeves, spread collar Rayon, coconut buttons Brown ground with yellow, blue, green, white, and gray Design: floral background with decorated ukuleles showing divers Label: “MADE IN CALIFORNIA / Westwood Casuals / KLEIN-NORTON CO.” Shirt #197 Short sleeves, spread collar Rayon, wood buttons Blue ground with orange, yellow, teal, green, brown, black Design: Vignettes of people, including woman with basket of fruit, woman with leis, hula dancers Label: “Kuu-Ipo / MADE IN HAWAII” Designed by Frank Macintosh for Matson Navigation Company, which operated cruise ships to Hawaii as early as the 1920s and 1930s. Macintosh created designs, including this one, that were originally used for menu covers on Matson ships and later adapted for shirts. Shirt #198 Short sleeves, spread collar Rayon, wood buttons Brown ground with gray, white, yellow, orange Design: Border print of fighting dragons and tigers Label: “Malihini / MADE IN / HAWAII” Shirt #213 Short sleeves, spread collar Rayon, plastic buttons Black ground with yellow, green, red Design: Leis No label Designed by John "Keoni" Meigs, one of the foremost Hawaiian shirt designers. Meigs created his own designs, as he did for this shirt, but he also adapted artwork created for other media, including Eugene Savage’s menu designs.

Hawaiian Gifts Websites Home

Order Hawaiian Gifts from the tested safest Hawaiian Gifts stores. Tested Safest Websites - Order Hawaiian Gifts Merchant Services Order from the Tested Safest Hawaiian Gifts Websites Home > Gifts > Hawaiian Gifts Best Price Gift Baskets Best Price Gift Baskets Know Before You Go! Your online super store for purchasing exquisite gifts, flowers, and gift baskets.Looking for gift ideas? Here at best price gift baskets we have the best gifts for your friends, family, and love ones.Products such as gift baskets, flower gift baskets, fruit baskets, gourmet gift baskets, for occasions such as Christmas, Mothers day birthday, holiday, Thank you, Anniversary, Valentines and many more. Company Details Hawaii Flower Lei Send a Gift of Aloha! Know Before You Go! Explore our Lei Gallery including our exclusive collection of unforgettable Orchid Leis, sacred Maile, sweet smelling Pikake, colorful Everlasting Keepsake, and a variety of other beautiful Hawaiian flower leis.. and send a gift of Aloha today! Company Details 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Trusted Guide To Gifting Know Before You Go! For more than 25 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has helped millions of customers connect to the people they care about with a broad range of thoughtful gifts, award-winning customer service and its unique technology and fulfillment infrastructure. The Companys product line - including flowers, plants, gourmet foods, candies, gift baskets and other unique gifts - is available to customers around the world via: the Internet (www.1800flowers.com); by calling 1-800-FLOWERS (1-800-356-9377) 24 hours a day; or by visiting one of the Company-operated or franchised stores. Company Details Wine Country Gift Baskets Beautiful, Affordable Gift Baskets Know Before You Go! For more than 20 years, Wine Country Gift Baskets has helped customers connect to the people they care about with beautiful affordable gift baskets and world-class customer service. Its gourmet foods, chocolate, spa, corporate and wine gift baskets are available to customers within the USA via: Web (www.WineCountryGiftBaskets.com); Phone 1-800-394-0394 5am-6pm PT; or by FAX 714-525-0746 24 hours/day. Company Details Nautical Tropical Unique Nautical and Tropical Decor & Gifts Know Before You Go! Our store features unique nautical and tropical decor, mermaids, lamps and lanterns, portholes, birds, sponges, nautical antiques, clocks, buoys, pub signs, bronze statues and tables, hand carved wood, and more at great prices! Company Details 1 - 5 of 5 List Your Website Gifts All Occasion Gifts Alpaca Art Gifts Baby Gifts Balloons Bath and Body Gifts Bedding Bridesmaid Gifts Calendars Candleholders Candles Ceramic Bisque Christian Gifts Christmas Gift Ideas Cigars Corporate Gifts Crystal Cutlery Doctor Gifts Entertainment Flower Girl Gifts Get Well Gifts Gift Baskets Gift Certificates Gift Ideas Gift Packaging Gift Towers Gifts for Her Gifts for Him Gifts for Kids Glassware Gourmet Gift Baskets Greeting Cards Groomsmen Gifts Hawaiian Gifts Holiday Gifts Hummels Incense Irish Gifts Jewish Gifts LDS Gifts Limoges Maine Gifts Memorial Trees Military Gifts Music Boxes Native American Gifts Nautical Gifts Novelty Gifts Office Gifts Pens Personalized Gifts Pet Lover Gifts Pewter Porcelain Potpourri Retail Gifts Romantic Gifts Rose Gifts Smoking Southwest Gifts Soy Candles Special Occasion Gifts Sporting Goods Sports Gifts Stationery Stock Quotes Swarovski Teacher Gifts Tobacco Travel Unique Gifts Wedding Gifts Wholesale Gifts Wrapping Paper Writing Instruments Categories Art Beauty Business Cars Clothing Computers and Web Education Electronics Entertainment Finance Flowers Food and Kitchen Gifts Health and Wellness Hobbies Holidays Home and Family Hot Topics Jewelry Lawn and Garden Pets Saving Money Self Help Special Events Sports Toys and Games Travel Vision Home Page - Corporate Info - Contact Info. - List Your Website © 2004 Safe Shopping Network. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement - Terms of Use/Disclosure

Air Hawaiian

TravelFleaMarket · Discount Airfare Deals, Hotels, Vacations & Cruises Travel Deals Search All Travel Deals Airfare Deals Cruise Deals Rental Cars Vacation Packages Hotels & Resorts AIRFARE DEALS · CRUISE DEALS · VACATION PACKAGES · HOTELS & RESORTS · RENTAL CARS · · HOME AIRFARE DEALS North America Airfare Europe Airfare South America Airfare International Airfare Caribbean/Mexico Air Bargain Airfare Finder -- Airfare Under $199 Airfare Under $399 Airfare Under $599 CRUISE DEALS Caribbean Cruises Alaska Cruises Mexico / Panama Canal Europe Cruises Bahamas Cruises Trans Atlantic Cruises Luxury Cruises Other Cruises Bermuda New England Cruises Singles Cruises South America Cruises Disney Cruises Hawaii Cruises Cruises $399 & Under Cruises $599 & Under Cruises $999 & Under RENTAL CARS International Rental Cars North America Rental Cars Discount Travel Deals 3 night Pacific Coastal from $189 Cruise the Caribbean as you play mini golf! 14 night South America from $1500 7 night Alaska from $649 Peru Express, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, W/A $999.00 Princess Carib Sale: Cruises from $538 & $50 SBC 8 Nt. Caribbean Cruise on NCL Spirit from $659.05! *Maui package $515pp includes air & 5 nights hotel MORE Discount Travel Deals VACATION PACKAGES South America Caribbean Vacations Central America Mexico Vacations Europe Vacations Hawaii Vacations Family Vacations US & Canada The World Honeymoons Orlando Vacations Las Vegas Vacations Ski Vacations South Pacific California Vacations Vacation Bargains Under $399 , $599 or $999 HOTELS & RESORTS Other US Hotels Orlando Hotels Las Vegas Hotels New York Hotels California Hotels Mexico Hotels Singles Scene Hotels Ski Resorts Alabama Alaska Alberta Arizona Arkansas British Columbia California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Manitoba Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Brunswick New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Newfoundland North Carolina North Dakota Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Ohio Oklahoma Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania Prince Edward Island Quebec Rhode Island Saskatchewan South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Yukon Territory VACATION RENTALS -- " maxlength="100" style="position: relative; left: 15;top: 18; width: 85; height: 17; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; padding-left:0; padding-right:0;padding-top:0; padding-bottom:1px" " maxlength="100" style="position: relative; left: 15;top: 17; width: 85; height: 17; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; padding-left:0; padding-right:0;padding-top:0; padding-bottom:1px" What are SuperBuys? They are the best travel deals available. Discount airfare deals, cruises, vacation packages, all inclusive travel bargains, discount hotels and resorts are selected and updated constantly. Bookmark us & visit often. You can also recieve SuperBuys via email. SIGN UP and save. AIRFARE DEALS · CRUISE DEALS · VACATION PACKAGES · HOTELS & RESORTS · RENTAL CARS · SUPERBUYS · HOME Privacy · Legal · Customer Service · Directory · Who We Are · Advertising · Login Travel Resources · More Resources · Travel Guides · Site Map ©2003- 2006 TravelFleaMarket.com, All Rights Reserved

Hawaiian cruise industry The Omnibus

Norwegian Cruise Line Gains Interisland Cruise Rights to Hawaii  You are here: About > Travel > Hawaii / South Pacific for Visitors > A Hawaii Vacation Planner > Cruise Lines > Norwegian Cruise Line Gains Interisland Cruise Rights to Hawaii Travel Go Hawaii Essentials Which Hawaiian Island Suits You Best? Clickable Map of the Hawaiian Islands Beach Guide Hawaii Pictures Clickable Map of Maui, Hawaii Topics A Hawaii Vacation Planner Big Island of Hawaii Kauai Maui / Molokai / Lanai Oahu / Honolulu / Waikiki South Pacific Culture, History & Language Hawaii Lodging Hula Luau Maps and Weather Pearl Harbor Photos, Video & Cams Recipes Shopping and Gifts Buyer's Guide Tastes of Paradise from Hilo Hattie HilHilo Hattie Dresses and Sarongs Multi-Day Guided Tours Top Hawaii Guidebooks Top Maui / Molokai / Lanai Guidebooks Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Hawaii / South Pacific for Visitors newsletter! See Online Courses   Search Hawaii / South Pacific for Visitors Norwegian Star Promotional Photos - NCL Stay up to date! Norwegian Star Promotional Photos - NCL Email to a friend Print this page Recent Discussions My Favorite Restaurants are.... Hawaii Celebrities in the News Restaurants Most Popular Nudist Beaches in Hawaii Hawaii Photos Hawaii Pictures Life's a Beach in Hawaii - Our collection of photos of peopl... Hawaiian Island Scorecard What's Hot Top Picks in Hawaiian Coffee Kamehameha the Great Kalua Pig Waikiki Beach, Oahu - Life's a Beach in Hawaii - Hawaii Beac... Best Beaches 1999 Related Topics Air Travel Cruises Honeymoons / Romantic Getaways Surfing / Bodyboarding Travel with Kids Norwegian Cruise Line Gains Interisland Cruise Rights From John Fischer , Your Guide to Hawaii / South Pacific for Visitors . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! New law revives Hawaiian cruise industry The Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed by the U.S. Congress on February 13, 2003, includes a provision that will mark the rebirth of the Hawaiian cruise industry. Ever since the bankruptcy of American Classic Voyages following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, only cruise ships arriving from foreign ports, or arriving from mainland ports which also include a stop in non-U.S. territory, have been permitted to make port calls in Hawaii. These restrictions stem from a series of laws enacted in the 1920's commonly referred to as the Jones Act. Among other things the laws require that only American owned ships transport goods and people between American ports. These laws have continually been supported by Congress and U.S. Presidents. Unfortunately, however, gone are the days where there were cruise ships owned by American companies and sailing under U.S. flags. For primarily tax benefits and cost savings reasons such as crew salaries, even cruise lines headquartered in the United States elect to flag their ships in foreign countries, such as Panama and Liberia. The effect of the Jones Act and the lack of American flagged cruise ships has been that cruises totally within the Hawaiian Islands have been virtually non-existent. From 1980 until 2001, only three ships ships have cruised exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands, the S.S. Independence, the S.S. Constitution and, for a short time the M.S. Patriot, all owned by American Hawaiian Cruises, a subsidiary of American Classic Voyages. Cruises exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands ended with the aforementioned bankruptcy of American Classic Voyages. Since that time, several cruise lines have sailed intermittently in Hawaiian waters, all of which include calls of port in a foreign country. Many actually depart from Canada or Mexico. Norwegian Cruise Line, which is based in Miami, has been the leader in Hawaiian cruises since 2001. Their ship, the Norwegian Star, however, makes a trip to Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati on each of its inter-island cruises. The recently passed bill, will allow Norwegian to eliminate this extra stop and cruise exclusively within the waters of Hawaii. Under the terms of the bill, Norwegian Cruise Line will be permitted to sail foreign-built ships under a U.S. flag in Hawaii waters. Opponents to the bill, under pressure from rival cruise lines, required that the bill include a provision that these newly flagged ships will not transport passengers in revenue service to ports in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. In addition, no federal money will be used in this project. Norwegian plans to finish building overseas two partly built cruise ships destined for Hawaii under American Classic Voyages' failed ship building initiative which was called "Project America," and then sail them exclusively in Hawaii. It also allows the cruise line to re-flag an additional cruise ship (the Norwegian Star) already in operation. In an additional boon to the Hawaiian economy and tourist industry, the bill requires Norwegian to employ American crews to man the ships. Norwegian has promised that a majority of the hiring will be with Hawaii residents. It is expected that as many as 3000 new jobs will be created for Hawaii residents once all three ships are in operation.   Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2006 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company . All rights reserved. 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