Hawaii
Zip Lining the Big Island
Apr 1st
As I mentioned in my blog last week, my favorite activity during my Hawaiian escape was zip lining. We went out with Big Island Eco Tours, a tour group I would absolutely recommend to anyone considering zip lining in Hawaii. The adventure starts with a 40-minute off-roading excursion to the course, buried under the canopy of the Albizia forest in North Kohala. Bouncing along in a Humvee or Pinzgauer definitely sets the mood for the trip.
Big Island Eco Tours starts you out slowly. Zip Line One (of eight total) is a straightforward zip, where you have the opportunity to work on turning yourself (a skill I never quite mastered), practicing how to land straight, etc. Gradually, the zips get more advanced. You fly over waterfalls;,skim past the beautiful plant life. Landings become more difficult once the wooden platforms disappear. Zip Eight was probably one of the greatest thrills of my life. At more than 1,000 feet long and 250 feet high, zip liners propel themselves across by walking (or running) off a nearby cliffside. Talk about exhilarating!
I am definitely a little bit of a thrill seeker, so I was eager and fearless when it came to the zip lining adventure. I even let Shannon (one of our tour guides) spin me so I spent the whole length of the zip line flying around in circles. There were a few in my group who were nervous, but the professionalism and friendliness of the staff immediately put everyone at ease. Should you decide to zip line with Big Island Eco Tours, be sure to ask for Keneeko and Shannon. They were hilarious and made the whole day an adventure to remember!
– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
Aloha!
Mar 26th
I spent the end of last week and the weekend in beautiful Hawaii! It was my first trip to our 50th state, and I was completely wowed by the beauty of the area. I was on the Big Island and split my time between the Hilton Waikoloa Village and Kings’ Land, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club property.
Not that I spent much time in my room! My itinerary was jam-packed with activities, each one more fun than the next. I got up close and personal with a friendly dolphin at Dolphin Quest, based at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Admittedly, I was the only one of the group who did not kiss the dolphin, but it was still fun to swim with him and watch him do tricks.
We spent a choppy afternoon at sea whale-watching and snorkeling. We saw a ton of whales breaching and had some flipper dolphins swimming next to our boat and delighting us with their tricks. While snorkeling, I had the chance to hold a lipstick urchin. It was a weird sensation as it suctioned to my hand.
I ventured across the island the next day to check out Kilauea, the island’s active volcano. I explored two lava tubes and Volcanoes National Park, waiting for nightfall. From above the volcano at the observatory, you can see the red glow of the lava as the volcano continually erupts. It was pretty awe-inspiring, and the impact of what you are viewing is not fully felt until you actually leave the park and realize, “Wow, I was just standing at an active volcano site!”
Of course, I learned how to hula and make leis. I took in the beauty of the land and enjoyed a spa treatment — or two. My favorite activity was ziplining, which I will save for an upcoming blog.
So, for now, Aloha!
– Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
Misplaced Marketing
Jan 6th
Earlier this week, my favorite publisher, Fran Gallagher, discussed Hawaii’s questionable marketing strategies. It is a bit surprising that marketing for something as important and big as Hawaii would be so misguided, but I have seen many inept plans on a smaller scale.
When I worked at (the now defunct) Lerner Newspapers, one of my responsibilities was the distribution of Visitor Guides for certain areas. These guides were jointly produced by Lerner and various Chambers of Commerce or Tourism/Visitors Bureaus.
I would think these guides were meant to attract others to these areas. Instead, most times, The Powers That Be felt the guides should be distributed only in the areas covered. This certainly made distribution easier and quicker, but I doubt it did anything for the economy of the area. Ironically, The Powers That Be would often complain afterward that they didn’t receive any response from the guides, nor did they see any spike in tourism.
Another failed project involved a shopper publication. The newspaper consisted entirely of ads for local stores, many including coupons. I was shocked to learn that The Powers That Be wanted the entire run of the publication to be delivered to local businesses. After a few minutes of this pointless exercise, the project was abandoned based on the lack of consumer response.
How does this happen? I understand there are knuckleheads in every walk of life, but why didn’t someone see the silliness in these two examples?
Of course, on their resumes and in their minds, these projects were probably classified as successes. They probably bragged about their brilliance in promotion and marketing. They might even have parlayed these experiences into better jobs, like maybe at the Hawaiian Visitors Bureau.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
