Lanai Visitors Bureau

The Lanai initiative is aimed at attracting visitors while the insular sector is struggling.

LANXESS companies say they've been fighting for years, eight to be precise. Lanai Chamber of Commerce, which covers almost all companies on the islands, says 2007 was the last good year for the island's business with 110.5 million dollars in visitors' expenses. Lanai's two largest lanai resorts are Four Season's Lodge in Koele and Manele Bay.

Together there are just over 300 rooms without visitors, and the Lanai shops say it hurts them. Chamber of Commerce says if the hotel is open, the isle gets 200 visitors a daily. Before it was hard, but that's really hard," said Brad Bunn, chairman of the Lanai Chamber of Commerce.

"Lanai has had a hard time recovering from the great 2009 downturn, so it's been a few long meagre years for domestic companies." Lanai Chamber of Commerce is launching a nationwide appeal to invite newcomers. Mr Bunn thinks that could mean $3 million a year for companies.

"Only an additional 20-30-day visit from Oahu or Maui can have a big beneficial effect on the small Lanai companies," he said. The following declaration was made by Pulama Lanai, the Lanai owner's administrative entity, Larry Ellison: "The Pulama Lanai supports every effort that will benefit regional companies, as well as the Lanai Chamber of Commerce's daily visitor promotion program.

As well as the Chamber's efforts, Pulama Lanai is focusing on holding more bucks in the municipality by empowering the people of Lanai to buy and eat." Although the Lanai Visitors Bureau (LVB) is not directly participating in the initiative, it also says that it strongly promotes Lanai, especially in the corporate world.

Teryl Vencl, Managing Partner of the Maui Visitors Bureau, says: "LVB does not pack Lanai's offers. It is our task as a merchandising organisation to advertise the destinations via conventional and societal means, especially through the exchange of'new' information on the spot and beyond". It was Vencl who discovered that blogs can be visited in mid-July and August with contributions on various Facebook and Twitter related topics and offers.