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AMA Hawaii talks with Alfred Grace, CEO of Polynesian Cultural Center

AMA: You launched a new evening show, Hā, at the Polynesian Cultural Center this year. What were you trying to accomplish and how’s it going?

Alfred Grace: We’re trying to appeal to a significant portion of our visitors who have been to the PCC, liked it, but have minimal desire to return.  The goal of “Hā: Breath of Life”, our new $3 million production, is not only to launch a new Polynesian show, but create an experience featuring commonly shared values that people readily identify with.  In many ways we want our guests to have an experience similar to that of a good Broadway show.  One immediate result of connecting with the audience on an emotional level has been a huge increase in locals returning numerous times to watch the new show. We are aware of some annual pass holders who have seen “Hā: Breath of Life” more than 40 times! This is certainly a different response from the “loved it, but been there done that” attitude many guests had towards the previous show.

The story line follows the life of a young man named Mana. Each phase of his life is represented by a different Polynesian culture.  We see him as a young child loved by parents and family, then growing into a man, finding true love, starting a family and losing a loved one … all experiences that the audience can readily appreciate in a deep, personal way. The show tends to remind people of what is really important in life.

Signature spectacles such as nearly 100 performers, fire walks and fire knife dancing (featuring up to fifteen fire knife dancers on stage at the same time) have been woven into the storyline. Staging has also been dramatically enhanced. Performers constantly flow off and on stage through the audience, effectively eliminating any barriers between them. A new audio system featuring “surround-sound”, was also installed at a cost of more than $500,000 to further enhance guest’s immersion in the show. State of the art animation projected onto large screens in the shape of canoe sails, was also added to help guests more readily follow the transitions of Mana’s life and reduce the need for narration. Of course no new Polynesian show would be complete without an entirely new set of costumes. “Hā: Breath of Life” has exceeded all of our expectations.

AMA: The tourism strategic plan identifies attracting new first time visitors as a priority?  What’s going on in that area?  

Alfred Grace: We’ve participated in programs designed to attract first time visitors, like the Marriott Aloha on Tours throughout the US and Japan. We do see a corresponding increase in our web traffic with these promotions. We also continue to support HTA sponsored programs targeting first time visitors from Asia and the mainland. The influx of Korean and Chinese visitors to Hawai‘i, most of which are first timers, has been very good for the PCC. The various types of visa programs now available to these markets, coupled with pent up demand for Hawai‘i, robust economies and good money exchange rates all bode well for the Hawai‘i tourism industry. The PCC, like most attractions in Hawai‘i, is dependent on first visitors. Current seventy to seventy-five percent of our guests are first time visitors to PCC. From our standpoint, more first time visitors to the islands are the most efficient way of building business. However, we do recognize that Hawai‘i is a mature destination and therefore we need to invest in new experiences, such as “Hā: Breath of Life”, to attraction the repeat visitor as well as local residents

AMA: Congress finally passed a tourism promotion act this year to fund programs to draw international markets to the US.  What are the prospects for Hawai‘i?  

Alfred Grace: As I understand it, a cap of approximately 7.5 million visitors per year has been established by the powers that be in Hawai‘i. Once this cap has been reached we will need to continue growing revenues by targeting markets that spend more on accommodations, activities, retail, etc. We may also want to seriously revisit long-haul/long stay markets such Great Britain and Germany.  While these markets may not spend as much per day as other markets, they do stay longer and therefore tend to spread their money around more.
The promotion of travel to the US in the international market will certainly benefit the image of our country. We have a real opportunity to improve our image by promoting easier travel. After 9/11 for many foreigners the US had become “fortress America”. Visas were not only expensive and time consuming to acquire, but the process of getting them was oftentimes demeaning. One of the key benefits of a nationwide, government sponsored travel advertising campaign is that it will put a friendlier face on the US. That will open the door for Hawai‘i, because after all, when it comes to being friendly, we are the Aloha State.

AMA: What are you seeing in terms of a recovery in the visitor market?

Alfred Grace: Some improvement this year. We still see a very price sensitive consumer, but the numbers are starting to come back a little and we’re seeing a slight increase in the willingness to spend a little more on higher end packages. We are still seeing a sluggish Japan market but expect some improvement as we move into the summer. Our biggest increases in visitors so far this year has come from the South Korean and Chinese markets. And our efforts in the local market have also been very positive.  

AMA: Has the Hawai‘i visitor changed since the recession?

Alfred Grace: They are much more price-sensitive and really want to get the biggest bang for their buck. In many ways this has been good for the industry as it has forced us to become more efficient while maintaining high levels of customer service.