Nani Pilikia

Hawai’i. So alluring. A siren song. Years of advertising and marketing campaigns combined with all the stories from friends and loved ones about dreamy honeymoons or perfect family vacations have created visions of paradise in the minds of the multitudes. And traditionally, the multitudes come. But not so much lately. Apparently even tropical Edens have been hit hard by the economy and the N1H1 virus. Hotel room occupancy is way down in our 50th state and that is bad news for a local economy that rises and falls on the number of folks that annually decide to release their inner surfer.

I recently visited four islands (in eight days – not recommended for those looking to relax!) as part of a promotional tour sponsored by the state tourism office. I was a behind-the-scenes person, not one of the guest travel writers invited to see Hawai’i and spread the word that it’s as beautiful as everyone says it is, but not as expensive as you think. Like any destination that you’ve built up in your mind for years (I’d never visited before), it was both better than I hoped and less than I expected. There is no argument that it is beautiful. Kaua’i is quiet and ruggedly beautiful with curvy roads and small towns. Maui is built up but still retains a quiet, soothing soul.

The Big Island of Hawai’i is a contrast of tropical lushness and stark lava fields created by the still-active volcano at its center. The disappointment is Honolulu and Waikiki with its over-built beachfront, clogged streets, designer shops, and over-priced, ever-present mai-tais. A shopping mecca for foreign travelers or perhaps visitors from smaller American towns; a lively club scene for party seekers; an urban mess for those looking for a quiet walk on the beach or a glimpse of native Hawai’i.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But it’s not the Hawai’i I was interested in. My favorite moment was in Wailea on Maui a few hundred yards off the beach, standing on a paddleboard. Yes, there was much standing and falling, kneeling and falling, and every variation therein, but once I was standing more than swimming, it was wonderful. And I felt like, for that instant, I was really there. Really in the Hawai’i you see on the postcards.

And it can be done on a budget. There are airfare deals and hotel packages and moderately priced food to be had if you’re willing to do a little research. And the locals are happy to point out their favorite places to grab a quick bite or rent a kayak for less that the big resorts would charge. So I think the message got out through the guest writers that Hawai’i was still a reasonable destination in these belt-tightening times. And, hey, I had a fine time. I got a free trip to Hawai’i. Not too shabby.

Oh, wait, that’s the other thing. I suddenly found myself in the middle of a controversy about the fact that this trip was comped for the writers. They weren’t paid for their time or work. No restrictions were placed on what they could and could not write about. But their airfare, hotels, and most expenses were covered by state tourism money. Which means the government. Was it journalism or was it marketing disguised as journalism? Numerous people whose opinions I respect weighed in on a point, counter-point discussion that grew heated. It was a valid debate that brought up a lot of interesting points about how content on the web is presented and perceived. But I felt it was directed at the wrong group of people. All our writers made it very clear in all their postings that the trip was sponsored by the state of Hawai’i. Everyone talked about how we were traveling in a group and sharing experiences and rental cars. It couldn’t have been more transparent. And yet, there was criticism that the writers weren’t like “real” journalists who never take “freebies” so their souls remain pure. Well, if you’re writing about prostitution rings being run out of Hawai’ian resorts, independence from the corporate owner of those resorts is important, even necessary. But if you’re writing about a local restaurant you stumbled upon one evening or how much fun it is to paddleboard, does it make your story less valid if someone else bought the plane ticket (and you told your audience that fact)?

I’m sure there are many online writers and bloggers who aren’t as scrupulous as those who participated in this project. I understand the idea of a slippery slope that we must guard against that might send us back to the bad old days of advertiser controlled media content. But I think online there is a much stricter supervisor than we realize. If someone reads a blog and doesn’t (a) want or need the information, (b) like the style of writing, or (c) trust the writer/source, that user is g-o-n-e, gone. During the discussion of the potential conflicts of writing a review while on someone else’s dime, one writer talked about how she strives to be as transparent as possible while providing information to her audience. Her final thought regarding the result is a good one: It’s not up to us (the writers), it’s up to them (the users). They will make their preferences known in a swift and often heartless manner. And that’s the way it should be. Mendacity should not be tolerated by anyone – on either side of the computer screen.