LIHUE — Sports Illustrated, Jurassic World, Biggest Loser; Kauai showed her splendor on the silver and the small screens, as well as in print, in 2015, according to the Kauai Visitors Bureau. About 150 people attended the organization’s annual membership
LIHUE — Sports Illustrated, Jurassic World, Biggest Loser; Kauai showed her splendor on the silver and the small screens, as well as in print, in 2015, according to the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
About 150 people attended the organization’s annual membership luncheon Thursday at the Kauai Beach Resort, where members highlighted the results from the last year’s work promoting Kauai.
“(This year), and now 2016 coming up, I think are really exciting times, that’s no secret,” said Laura Richards, KVB board chairwoman. “We’re at a crossroad right now for our island and finding the balance of growth and prosperity, as well as sustainability and preservation of our culture.”
The island garnered worldwide attention this year, and it’s not just from the more than 419,000 email advertisements sent through media outlets, the 4.3 million impressions made through TripAdvisor, or the eight out of 10 brides reached through the website of the popular wedding publication, “The Knot.”
A spread in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition in February kicked off 2015. Sue Kanoho, KVB executive director, said they were initially promised — at most — eight pages in the magazine. Instead, Kauai was featured in 22 pages, as well as online in extra photos and videos from the shoot. As a result of the SI exposure, the island got a three-minute destination video and an hour special on the Travel Channel.
Kanoho and her team scheduled their New York press trip around the launch of the swimsuit edition. They built a little Kauai booth in the city, complete with fresh lei and tropical flowers, and took photos of fans with the models.
“It was a moment in life that this little thing that was really great as it stood, and then it became a bigger thing (along) the way,” Kanoho said. “That really paid off.”
That wasn’t the only shining moment for Kauai in 2015. The island was also featured on two episodes of The Biggest Loser.
“Two one-hour episodes, national TV, very popular show, in the dead of winter,” said Patrick Dugan with Anthology Public Relations. “People were seeing how beautiful Kauai was.”
Making a few appearances in the fourth installment of Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” movie series sent Kauai’s image worldwide, as well.
“We’re right there, in the summer blockbuster,” Dugan said. “It was a heck of a year. It really was.”
Looking forward to 2016, Dugan said the island is going to be advertised as a refreshing getaway and the goal is to bring one word to mind when anyone mentions Kauai: Rejuvenation.
“It’s a brand that continues to resonate with travelers, and it’s our guide, and our focus, and our message,” Dugan said. “2016 revolves around this brand of rejuvenation.”
They’ve even gone as far as inventing a new hashtag for social media: #rejuvenatingkauai.
“We’re going to be using the hashtag in everything that we can,” Dugan said, “and I’d encourage all of you to do the same as appropriate.”
The goal is to target specific types of travelers like first-time visitors, folks seeking recreation, romance, or culture, or ladies wanting a girlfriend getaway.
“We want to highlight those rejuvenating qualities about the island,” Dugan said. “It’s many things to many people, but we always want to highlighting that message of how the island rejuvenates travelers that come here.”
Kauai’s festivals are also going to be in the spotlight. Dugan said their research has shown people want to experience the heart and soul of Kauai — its people.
“Our overriding goal is to always keep Kauai on the top of mind among travel consumers,” Dugan said. “We want to showcase the natural beauty and we want to reach these key travel segments of adventure, family travel, romance, wellness, and culture. We want to showcase Kauai’s uniqueness.”
