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Aloha is not “Aloooooha”: Stop visitors from offending Hawaiians

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Do not say ALOHA or better ALOOOOOHA when visiting Hawaii.

“Those of you particularly in the tourist industry and in entertainment, stop saying “ALOOOOOOOHA”.  There is no such word and as the Hawaiian Queen said herself, they have stolen the country, and now they want to redo our language. Stop it. Just stop, It’s Aloha, not Alooooooha.”, said Adam Keawe Manalo- Camp, a native Hawaiian resident on Oahu.

Hawaii visitors and the travel and tourism industry together with the entertainment world is making Hawaiians very angry. Hawaiians think the largest industry in the State of Hawaii misusing the word “Alooooha” is disrespecting them and their rich ancient culture.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority should better educate stakeholders and visitors on cultural concerns native Hawaiian people raise. HTA must put an increased effort in on managing tourism and not just look at increasing arrival numbers. Increasing arrival numbers may not be a good indicator for a healthy tourism industry anymore.

With mass tourism and thousands of visitors arriving and leaving the US Pacific State every single day, it appears a boiling point is on the horizon. There may be is an urgent and immediate need to keep this industry safe and profitable. The largest industry in the State of Hawaii is seen as a business of invasion and disrespect by many.

Are you planning to travel to Hawaii? Are you operating a tourist attraction in the “Aloha State?” Overtourism comes with great concerns, and a massive number of people on Waikiki’s sidewalks, restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls, and beaches are a good indication there is a limit to tourism.  Has this limit been reached? Native Hawaiians are even more concerned. They are worried the travel and tourism industry is overwriting their rich Hawaiian Culture. For them shouting out “Alooooha” is a good indication.

A recent discussion on the eTurboNews Publishers Facebook points out such concerns.

Derek Hiapo told eTN: “To use the HAWAIIAN word “ALOHA” I need to make something VERY CLEAR!!  HAWAIIANS AND THE USE OF OUR LANGUAGE have been taken over by people who have NEVER known the true meaning of the word. For us kanaka maoli, we have had EVERYTHING stolen from us by people who are intent on raping us of EVERYTHING WE HAVE!!! The meaning of aloha cannot be lived or practiced, when what people have learned about the word “aloha” was taught to them at the usual tourist luau with someone onstage screaming the word and giving some halfwitted story about what that word means.

THERE’S WAY MORE MEANING TO THE WORD ALOHA AND THE PRACTICE OF LIVING ALOHA!!! You ask where is the aloha?? Being chased off of, and away from, it’s native homeland!! Where is the aloha?? In the bank accounts and pockets of all who’ve come to Hawaii to make their money at the cost of us kanaka maoli!! Where is the aloha?? In the twisted history being taught to the world that says that Hawaii was “saved” by America and not being told the TRUTH behind the theft of our internationally recognized sovereign kingdom. People want us to show ALOHA, but all we’ve been shown is disrespect, poverty, death, and the bastardization of our culture for the benefit of the illegal foreign occupier.”

Adam added this story:

“A long time ago, there lived a Hawaiian family. They worked the land for generations. Then one day there appeared a stranger. He was a haole guy (caucasion guy) who got lost and stumbled upon the Hawaiian family.

They told him where to go back but they invited him to stay with them as he seemed to have a cold. He lived with them for a week and they took care of his needs. He eventually left.
Then soon afterward, the family got sick and only the mother was left. The man returned and brought his Japanese friend. They stayed in the Hawaiian family’s house. The Hawaiian mother took care of them as she was still in mourning. The haole guy and the Japanese guy decided that it would be great if others could experience her hospitality and “the culture”.

They devised plans and started a tour business. When the Hawaiian woman began to complain as she now was being forced to work under them in her own land, they asked her, “Where was your Aloha Spirit? Don’t be such an angry Kanaka” She then began to be quiet. Then more of her time and food was being given to the strangers. She then complained again.

This time the haole guy said “Okay let’s be fair and democratic about this. Let’s vote. ” The haole and Japanese guys voted to keep the Hawaiian woman as their employee while taking over her family’s lands. And that, in a nutshell, is what is happening in Hawai’i.”

Aloha is not only a magical word for Hawaii but was stolen further by destinations like Hainan, China. The Chinese destination is fully banking and integrating on the magic this word had for many and is further offending native people in Hawaii.

The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii began on January 17, 1893, with a coup d’état against Queen Liliʻuokalani on the island of Oahu by subjects of the Kingdom of Hawaii, United States citizens, and foreign residents residing in Honolulu.

Read what the Queen said in 1907:

The Hawaiian Queen comment on the word ALOOOOHA

Wikipedia posted: Liliʻuokalani was born on September 2, 1838, in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu. While her natural parents were Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea, she was hānai (informally adopted) at birth by Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia and raised with their daughter Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Baptized as a Christian and educated at the Royal School, she and her siblings and cousins were proclaimed eligible for the throne by King Kamehameha III. She was married to American-born John Owen Dominis, who later became the Governor of Oʻahu. The couple had no biological children but adopted several. After the accession of her brother David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874, she and her siblings were given Western style titles of Prince and Princess. In 1877, after her younger brother Leleiohoku II’s death, she was proclaimed as heir apparent to the throne. During the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, she represented her brother as an official envoy to the United Kingdom.

Liliʻuokalani ascended to the throne on January 29, 1891, nine days after her brother’s death. During her reign, she attempted to draft a new constitution which would restore the power of the monarchy and the voting rights of the economically disenfranchised. Threatened by her attempts to abrogate the Bayonet Constitution, pro-American elements in Hawaiʻi overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893. The overthrow was bolstered by the landing of US Marines under John L. Stevens to protect American interests, which rendered the monarchy unable to protect itself.

The coup d’état established the Republic of Hawaiʻi, but the ultimate goal was the annexation of the islands to the United States, which was temporarily blocked by President Grover Cleveland. After an unsuccessful uprising to restore the monarchy, the oligarchical government placed the former queen under house arrest at the ʻIolani Palace. On January 24, 1895, Liliʻuokalani was forced to abdicate the Hawaiian throne, officially ending the deposed monarchy. Attempts were made to restore the monarchy and oppose annexation, but with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, the United States annexed Hawaiʻi. Living out the remainder of her later life as a private citizen, Liliʻuokalani died at her residence, Washington Place, in Honolulu on November 11, 1917.

It appears the problem of overtourism and local culture is not unique to Hawaii.
Barcelona also thinks Tourism is an invasion, but ETOA doesn’t want tourists to go home yet 

Travel News | eTurboNews

FlyersRights asking DOT to regulate airline change fees

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When Congress deregulated airline prices, routes, and schedules in 1978, Congress preserved the DOT’s responsibility to ensure that international prices and fees remained “reasonable.” This little-known provision of U.S. law means that the FAA should strike down any change fees that are unreasonable and have no relation to cost. See 49 U.S.C. § 41501, DOT-OST-2015-0031 at regulations.gov.

FlyersRights.org has filed a notice of appeal against the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals over its refusal to regulate international change fees – Flyers Rights Education Fund v. U.S. Department of Transportation (CADC).

Passengers are helpless when it comes these exorbitant change fees that can range up to $500 or more. Domestic consolidation and international alliances in the airline industry have combined to give passengers fewer options when travelling. As airline profits soar, the airlines continue to increase change fees by hundreds of dollars while publicly declaring that these fees are a major profit generator.

In 2015, FlyersRights.org filed a rulemaking petition demanding that the DOT enforce the Reasonableness Law for change fees on international flights. On February 1, 2019, the DOT denied this petition. In refusing to regulate despite the Reasonableness Law, the DOT said it relied on “market forces” to handle all air travel pricing and policy. See DOT-OST-2015-0031-0035. FlyersRights.org is represented in the court appeal by Joseph Sandler, Esq. of Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock P.C. of Washington, D.C.

Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org, reflected on the past few years, “The DOT has demonstrated a tremendous ability to allow the airlines and airplane manufacturers to dictate enforcement policies. The DOT has ignored the law by failing to guarantee that international change fees are reasonable and related to cost. At a time when flights are routinely filled to capacity, airlines extort passengers into paying hundreds of dollars to change flights so that the airline can go back and sell the same ticket, usually at a higher price. The airlines reach into passengers’ checkbooks because the DOT refuses to follow the law.”

FlyersRights.org most recently took the FAA to federal court over the denial of its 2015 seat size rulemaking petition. The seat litigation has increased scrutiny on the FAA’s relationship with Boeing and other airplane manufacturers, has led to Congressional mandates to establish seat size standards and to review certification procedures, and has prompted a DOT Inspector General Investigation into the FAA’s oversight of emergency evacuation testing and certification.

Paul Hudson, member of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee since 1993, noted “The DOT and FAA keep proving, time and time again, that they will allow Boeing and the airlines to dictate policy both in the safety and consumer protection realms. From ignoring concerns over the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 787 Dreamliner, to rubber stamping manufacturers’ emergency evacuation testing, to decreasing enforcement of consumer protections to historical lows, the DOT has surrendered its duty to ensure safe air travel and reasonable protections for passengers.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

ILTM Latin America 2019: Record number of agents from new destinations

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ILTM Latin America 2019, regional event for the luxury travel industry, will welcome this year more of the most productive agents from Brazil and Latin America than even before, including many new faces.

A total of 370 buyers will attend the invitation only event in São Paulo in May, with 26% of these set to be new faces. They will attend from 14 countries – newly represented at the event are the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Guatemala – and 40 cities to meet with some of the best travel experiences from across the world. Agents from 22 cities in Brazil alone will be represented including Cuiaba and Uberlandia, also for the first time.

Simon Mayle, ILTM Latin America Event Director comments:

“We travel the continent far and wide, meeting and qualifying the most productive luxury agents in Latin America in order to bring an audience that can’t be found elsewhere and make the introductions that wouldn’t be made otherwise. We bring the world to Latin America, so that they can discover more of it.”

The 2019 edition of ILTM Latin America is defined by its theme of ‘Back to Life’ to highlight the value of Health and Wellness for both the luxury travel business and the consumer as well as our responsibility in taking care of and celebrating nature.

The event also welcomes over 90 new exhibitors in a total of almost 370 luxury travel brands from all four corners of the world who will attend to network and build business with the region’s wealthiest. They include AccorHotels Luxury brands, Aman Resorts, Baha Mar, Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort in Switzerland, Belmond, Dorchester Hotels, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Leading Hotels of the World, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott Luxury Brands, Preferred Hotels, Portugal’s Quinta das Lágrimas, Rosewood Hotel Group, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, The Vines Resort & Spa in Mendoza and Vakkaru Maldives as well as destinations including Portugal, Georgia and Israel.

Media Contact: Orla Kelly, Junior Account Executive, London, UK, D: +44 (0) 20 8334 4005, orla@spotlightcoms.com

Travel News | eTurboNews

Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville joins Benchmark Resorts & Hotels portfolio

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Benchmark has added the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville to the company’s Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brand portfolio. The recently renovated, 248-guest room property is located on the University of Florida campus, close to Gainesville’s Central Business District. The property serves a growing market of visiting alumni, parents and students, academics, and guests affiliated with the university. Its IACC-approved conference center, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space, attracts a significant number of meetings and events. The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center at Gainesville is Benchmark’s tenth property in Florida, and the third hotel located on a major college campus within the United States.

“We are honored to be chosen by Hilton Hotels & Resorts to manage this exceptional property,” says Benchmark CEO Alex Cabañas. “We are also delighted to again expand our presence in Florida, where both our Gemstone Collection and Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brands are represented throughout the Sunshine State,” he said. Benchmark recently added two hotels in St. Pete Beach to its portfolio, expanding its presence to Southwest Florida.

Mr. Cabañas also noted the growing importance of conference center hotels to a university. “These hotels serve as a campus ‘guest house’, providing an authentic, on-campus experience while sharing ideas and resources,” he said.

The non-smoking, pet-friendly hotel includes 248 guest rooms and suites featuring HDTV, desks for work/study-related activities, and complimentary WiFi. Guests can enjoy the property’s outdoor pool and whirlpool and a 24-hour fitness center.

The University of Florida is a prominent research university, set on 2,000 acres in Gainesville, in North Central Florida. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in law, medicine, business and engineering.

The University of Florida campus offers an array of services and attractions, including an art museum, concerts, lectures, theater, libraries and sports events. Guests can enjoy collegiate football at the nearby Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators. Other local attractions include the Butterfly Rainforest, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Gainesville Raceway. The surrounding region offers opportunities for biking, canoeing, paddle boarding, swimming and wildlife viewing at one of seven nearby Florida State parks.

Travel News | eTurboNews

LGBT Hawaii supports Lesbian Tourist and today’s U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

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LGBT Hawaii thanked lesbian couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford from California for standing up for what is decent and right. “It makes a difference to all our LGBT visitors and for the travel and tourism industry and for our State as a whole. We welcome LGBT visitors with open arms”,  said Scott Foster of LGBT Hawaii.

LGBT Hawaii issued a statement today applauding today’s ruling by the US Supreme Court that rejected the appeal of a Hawaii Bed and Breakfast owner who denied renting a room to a lesbian couple.

Their decision upholds an earlier Hawaiian State court ruling that found the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Hawaii Kai violated Hawaii’s anti-discrimination law by denying the couple a room because of the owner’s religious beliefs. B&B owner Phyllis Young had admitted during the Hawaii court proceedings that she turned the women away because she believed that LGBT relationships were “detestable” and “defiled the land.”

California couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford were represented by Lambda Legal, a nonprofit LGBTQ rights organization.

Scott Foster of LGBT Hawaii said: There is no room for discrimination in Hawaii. Hawaii is an open and tolerant rainbow society ruled by the spirit of Aloha. We welcome every visitor, regardless where they are from, and regardless of their sexual orientation. We’re pleased with the decision of both the Hawaii and U.S. Supreme Court.

Here is what happened: In 2007 a Lesbian couple Diane Cervilli and Taeko Bufford visited the Aloha State of Hawaii and booked a room at the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Honolulu.

The owner of the B&B Phyllis Young refused to rent a room to the couple claiming a conflict with her religious belief.  The couple went to court and a Hawaii State court ruled that Young ran afoul of Hawaii’s public accommodation law, which among other things bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Young took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The highest court in the United States handed a defeat on Monday to a bed and breakfast owner in Hawaii who turned away the lesbian couple. Litigation will now continue to determine what penalty Young might face.

SOURCE: www.lgbthawaii.com 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Seychelles represented at Spotlight Africa workshop, Lusaka

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) attended the Spotlight Africa Workshop held in Lusaka, Zambia, which took place on the February 13, 2019, organised by Houston Travel Marketing Services.

The Spotlight Africa Workshop is a business platform that provides opportunities to establish direct contacts besides encouraging networking with the trade.

eTN Chatroom: Discuss with readers from around the world:

The aim of the STB’s participation at the 2019 workshop was to entice trade partners to place more focus on the exotic islands as an affordable yet luxurious destination in the African region.

Speaking about the destination’s participation to this Spotlight workshop, Mrs. Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive mentioned the importance of increasing visibility for the destination on all markets.

“As a tourism board, we do not sell a mere product; we sell dreams and memories. Our participation to big trade fairs are important  but we cannot also neglect smaller workshops in new markets  as it is the time we create new networks with partners with potential  to sell our destination,” said Mrs. Francis.

Representing STB was Senior Marketing Executive, Mrs. Natacha Servina, who noted that the amount of interest received during the workshop was above expectation.

“Efforts and emphasis were to transform and convert the mind-set of many visitors and showcase the more affordable side of Seychelles where I strongly believe more focus should be derived from and that this market is worth the investment for further development,” said Mrs. Servina.

The STB representative also noted that Seychelles was not only a destination attracting the local visitors from Zambia present at the workshop.

She mentioned that there was also interest showed by the expatriates residing in Zambia, who visited the STB table, proving that there is great potential for growth on this market.

STB features alongside industry professionals including travel agencies and major tour operators who are considered major key players in the Zambian Travel Industry.

The workshop’s facilitator, Mr. Derek Houston mentioned his satisfaction with the turnout and participation received for this year, noting that The Spotlight on Africa Workshop Lusaka will remain on the organiser’s plan for 2020.

Seychelles to take over Berlin in a tropical storm as strong tourism delegation hits ITB in March

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Destination Seychelles will have a strong presence in the German capital, Berlin, as a 42 strong member delegation gets ready to attend the 53rd edition of Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB) travel trade show, which will take place from March 6, 2019 to March 10, 2019.

Staged annually in Berlin, the ITB is the one of the world’s leading travel show and is a-must attend business-to-business event; providing a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to Germany and international travel professionals.

eTN Chatroom: Discuss with readers from around the world:

The show provides a unique opportunity for the entire global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business.

Destination Seychelles be featured alongside over 180 countries and some 10,000 companies and organisations, all fitted in 26 halls in the biggest marketplace of the international travel industry.

The exotic and breath-taking paradise of Seychelles will have its own destination stand covering a space of 180sqm from which the delegation will be actively selling the charms of the destination during the four days of the fair.

The Seychelles delegation will be headed by the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley, who will be accompanied by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, and will comprise of representatives from hotels, airlines and DMCs in Seychelles.

The marketing wing of the Seychelles destination will be further represented by the presence at the Seychelles Stand of the Regional STB Director for Europe, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, and the Director for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Ms. Edith Hunzinger. Marketing Executive, Ms. Winnie Elisa and Senior E-Marketing Executive Randy Rosalie from headquarters will assist them all well equipped to sell the destination as one everyone deserves to tick off their personal bucket list.

In anticipation of Seychelles’ presence once again in Berlin STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned the importance of the destination’s attendance adding on to the visibility of the destination.

“Seychelles presence in ITB is irrefutably some valuable exposure for the destination. Our selling tactic by attending major trade fairs as a tourism board is to make our destination as tangible as possible.

We are look forward to marketing Seychelles means selling the destination ‘sea-sun-sand’ alongside our other features like our creole culture and hospitality. Our presence in major trade fairs adds on to the value of the experience and our partners”, said Mrs. Francis.

Thousands of senior travel industry professionals, Government Ministers, and international press visit ITB each year in March to network negotiate and discover latest trends and industry opinions.

Representatives of hotels include Mr. Fabrice Collot and Ms. Patricia de Mayer from Banyan Tree Seychelles, Ms. Wendy Tan of Berjaya Hotels Seychelles, Mrs. Foram Varsani from Cerf Island Resort and Ms. Ekaterina Gritsenko of Coral Strand Hotel and Savoy Seychelles Resort and Spa.

Other tourism establishment representatives are Mr. Ash Behari from Coco De Mer Hotel & Black Parrot Suites, Mr. Alan Mason representing both Denis Private Island and Carana Beach & Indian Ocean Lodge, Mr. Manuel Policarpo and Ms. Rui Oliveira of Eden Bleu Hotel, as well as Mr. Anthony Smith, Mr. Andre Borg and Mr. Daniele Fabbri of Hilton Seychelles.

Representing Kempinski Seychelles Resort & Spa will be Ms. Agata Sobczak and Mr. Masami Egami. Le Duc de Praslin and Valmer Resort will have a presence at the fair through Mr. Derek Savy and Mr. Robert Payet. Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove will be represented by Mr. Marc Wozniak and Mrs. Jenny Seraphine.

Other hotel representatives are Ms. Devi Sumayna Budhoo of Le Relax Management, Mr. Ferruccio Tirone and Ms. Samia Sedgwick of Maia Luxury Resorts & Spa and Paradise Sun, Mr. Eddie D’Offay of Pure Seychelles Hotels, Ms. Ernestina Bertarini and Ms. Sylvia Fletcher  of Raffles Seychelles and Mr. Sherif El Mansoury from the H Resort Beau Vallon Beach Seychelles.

Mr. Konrad Tarasiewicz from Coco Charter, and Mrs. Lucie Barone and Mr. Jonathan Loeffel will be representing VPM Yacht Charter Seychelles as DMCs.

DMCs also include Mrs. Anna Butler Payette and Ms. Dorina Cedras of 7° South, Mr. Lenny Alvis and Mrs. Elza Frichot Dahoo from Mason’s Travel as well as Mr. Guillaume Albert, Mr. Eric Renard, Mr. Philippe Cornaille, Ms. Amanda Lang and Ms. Luisa Mehl from Creole Travel Services.