While no longer commonly referred to as The Big Island, the Island of Hawaii is a bigger destination than ever. Not only is lava flowing from the Kilauea volcano, extending its land mass, the island’s agricultural diversity, hardwood forests, marine activities and other attributes are on the increase as well.
“We offer experiences that are unique and different even from those on the other Hawaiian Islands,” said Debbie Hogan, senior director of sales for the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau. “Nowhere else in the U.S. will you find an active volcano or as many of the world’s climate zones.”
Drawing a wide range of meetings business from large association groups to upscale corporate incentives, Hogan said the island’s peaceful atmosphere and astonishingly diverse landscape, which ranges from snow-capped mountains to black-sand beaches and tropical rainforest, make it ideal for groups seeking inspiration.
“You can settle in here very quickly and get in a frame of mind that allows you to focus on goals and education,” she said. “We have something the Hawaiians call mana, a kind of spiritual energy.”
Group business to the island reaches its peak during January through March, while summer is the busiest season for leisure travel, according to Hogan. When planners are searching for favorable dates and hotel rates, she noted that the best way to start the process is to contact the island bureau or Meet Hawaii, an organization that markets the state of Hawaii and offers a full menu of meeting resources, including a speaker’s bureau.
“If a planner comes to Meet Hawaii or the island chapter and is looking for August, we can check for holes in the calendar,” she said. “It might turn out that meeting in September will be a much better option if you have the flexibility.”
While most of Hawaii’s resort hotels are clustered along the sunny Kona-Kohala side of the island, Hilo on the lush east side is gaining momentum as a group destination, according to Hogan. Strengthening its appeal is the recent renovation of the 388-room Grand Naniloa Hotel, which recently became a DoubleTree property and accommodates up to 400 guests for a meeting. Daily flight service into Hilo from Los Angeles by United Airlines is scheduled to start in December.
PageBreak“There’s growing interest in Hilo; it’s simply a matter of communicating all it offers,” Hogan said. “There are so many activities—ziplining, swimming in the waterfalls, visiting the orchid farms. Plus, Hilo is just 40 minutes away from the entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.”
It is also home to green spaces such as the Japanese-style Liliuokalani Gardens.
Island Experiences
One of the joys of meeting on Hawaii is the number of available experiences and activities unique to the island.
Among these is the chance to dive or snorkel among the gentle manta rays that come to feed along the Kona Coast after dark. Kathy Clarke, owner of the DMC Kathy Clarke Hawaii, often arranges for groups to take a snorkel cruise with Fair Wind, which takes passengers out on a dual-level catamaran called the Hula Kai that departs Keauhou Bay at sunset.
“This is a stand-out tour that many people don’t know about,” she said. “You hang onto a big square float with a light that attracts the manta rays that come to feed on the plankton. It’s an especially good option for a free night when no dinner is planned because, despite the wetsuits, you do get wet. If the group wants to have dinner afterward, we’ll go somewhere casual.”
Another unique and memorable experience that Clarke recommends is a customized tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that includes the chance to see the smoldering red caldera of the active Kilauea volcano after dark. Typically, the tours start in the late afternoon when participants can get an overview of the steaming volcano fields and walk through a rainforest path to the Thurston Lava Tube, a 500-year-old lava cave.
“Every tour is unique because the volcanic activity changes daily, but people always love seeing the glowing lava after dark,” Clarke said. “We take people out in 12-passenger vans with walking sticks—the lava surfaces are uneven. It’s a great intimate experience for a small group.”
Along with tours, groups can experience the park in ways that include boat tours along the coast to see the lava from Kilauea spilling into the sea. Another option is to get an aerial perspective by taking a helicopter ride above the park, something that can be done in combination with a land tour.
“We can have a volcanologist along who can explain what you’re seeing from the air,” said Calvin Dorn, CEO of Paradise Helicopters, which offers customized tours for groups on the island. “You can fly over Kilauea to see the lava flow and a lava pond that changes from day to day.”
Hawaii’s abundant specialty farms, many of them growing exotic fruits unfamiliar to many mainland visitors, can also be a focus of a helicopter tour, according to Dorn.
“We can go into remote valleys to visit small farms where people can taste things like lychees, starfruit and rambutans,” he said. “Or we can land in a pineapple field to taste the sweetest pineapple imaginable.”
Another activity that groups can enjoy is a day or evening at Kahua Ranch near the upcountry town of Waimea, according to Clarke. She said the ranch provides a great opportunity for groups to get a glimpse of traditional paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) culture that has long been a part of island life.
“It’s a fun and economical option for groups that can be as large as 200 or more,” she said. “People get a choice of activities like horseback riding or touring the ranch on a tram. There’s a dining pavilion where you can have a barbecue, hear a talk about ranch life and do line dancing.”
