On November 20, Delta Air Lines held a ceremony in Tokyo to commemorate the first anniversary of the Haneda-Honolulu route (launch date is October 29, 2023).
At the event, Mr. Victor Osumi, Director of the Japan Branch Office, reviewed the past year and thanked all those who had gathered at the event, while Ms. Mitsue Varley, Director of the Japan Branch Office of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, and Mr. Masahiko Inada, Director of the Overseas Travel Promotion Department of JATA, took the stage as guests of honor.
In the middle of the meeting, Ryo Uchino, a.k.a. “Makocchan,” who appeared on BS12 Twelvi’s Hawaii information program “Hawaii in Love! Ryo Uchino a.k.a. “Makocchan,” a performer on BS12 Twelvi’s Hawaii information program, was invited to join President Osumi for a talk session.
The two were actually senior and junior colleagues from their days as hoteliers when Mr. Osumi was a manager at the Hyatt on the Big Island of Hawaii in the 1990s, and they had an amicable talk just like on the program. When asked what he thought of his flight on Delta Premium Select, a new category of Delta Air Lines’ Pre-Eco, Mr. Uchino replied, “The service and food on board give the impression of flying on an airplane of a higher rank. The seats are clean and comfortable, and I had a quality trip to Hawaii. I am also glad that they fly from Haneda. It’s close to my home, and it’s also convenient for people living in rural areas,” he said with a sense of reality.
As for changes in Hawaii after Corona, he mentioned “new stores and new activities,” including the permanent installation of Cirque du Soleil’s “Auana” at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber starting in December, and the hula show “Na Lei Aloha” at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki starting in August. The “Na Lei Aloha” hula show has started at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in August.
He added, “This is my personal opinion,” before adding, “Nowadays, influencers are constantly sending out information about new restaurants and other new places through YouTube and SNS, but if you look back, starting from the 1960s with “Drink Tris and go to Hawaii! In the 1970s, people went to Hawaii to enjoy the true essence of Hawaii, not because there was new information. I think it is our job now to show people the true nature of Hawaii.
When asked about the Japanese market, which is in mid-recovery, he replied, “We need to approach not only repeat visitors, but also the younger generation. For example, if Hawaii becomes the setting for an anime, we need to take a new approach, such as having people make a pilgrimage to a sacred place.
© Source travel watch
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