360DigitalInfluence

For those of you who are following the travel deals out there, Hawaii has consistently been on the top of most of the best vacation deals for 2009 list. While the Islands might not have contracted the H1N1 virus, the economic downturn has turned the once favorable vacation destination into a luxury most people feel they just can not afford. In addition to cheap rooms, hotels and resorts are throwing in all kinds of property perks in an effort to get more of your tourist dollars.

In an effort to increase travel to the Islands, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau is rolling out a new multi-million dollar marketing campaign. With their 71 million dollar annual budget, the Visitors and Convention Bureau will be implementing several new initiatives, including expanding their marketing efforts to focus more on China and South Korea. While they have not changed their target demographic, the “active visitor who enjoys golfing, cultural experiences, dining out and spa treatments”, they are definitely expanding their outreach to them.

In an effort to capture these new, active travelers, Hawaii has launched a revamped Website and has come up with creative incentives for China, including a Hawaii themed credit card whose users will receive perks when they travel to the Islands. Additionally, they are attempting to gain a larger share of the clean energy market by luring meeting, conventions and trade shows.

Hawaii’s new marketing campaign can be an important lesson to marketers who have to get creative in recessionary times. Rather than changing their target demographic, they are expanding the markets they are looking for their demographic, focusing on countries that are within a geographic proximity and may have more expendable income. They are using components of social media, including the enlistment of eight bloggers to share their fabulous experiences of Hawaii. They are capitalizing on the green movement, hoping to become known as the sustainable meeting location and, most importantly,  they are spending money to do so – something many cities/states/countries have been hesitant to do. After all, you have to have money to make money, which means you also have to spend it to make it.