First direct flight from China arrives in Honolulu

The first regularly scheduled direct flight between China and Hawaii arrived in Honolulu Tuesday morning, carrying tourism officials' hopes for a boost to the visitor industry in the Aloha State.

The inaugural China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai comes after aggressive efforts by the Hawaii Tourism Authority to secure nonstop service from the country in time for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting coming to Honolulu in November and a summit of Chinese tourism officials scheduled for September on Oahu and the Big Island.

"Today's landmark flight is wonderful news for Hawaii's tourism economy, and we remain committed to supporting this new route and developing airlift to meet demand," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the tourism authority.

The new route will arrive at Honolulu International Airport on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:50 a.m. and depart for Shanghai at 11:50 a.m. It's expected to provide up to $60 million in annual visitor expenditures and stimulate new jobs in the state. Tourism officials project more than 91,000 visitors from China will arrive in 2011, thanks to the flight and three charter flights China Eastern Airlines flew earlier this year.

The tourism authority is also working to make it easier to visit Hawaii. "We have been working with the government and our marketing partners in Asia to encourage the easing of barriers in obtaining leisure visas in a timely manner to encourage more travel to our islands," McCartney said.

Passengers on board Tuesday's Airbus 340-300 were greeted with flower lei, Hawaiian music and hula. Among them were 18 members of the Chinese media from The Beijing News, The Shanghai Times, China Youth Daily and other regional publications. The journalists are on a three-day visit to Oahu and the Big Island to generate stories about Hawaii as a visitor destination.

Source - timesunion