KAILUA-KONA — Gov. David Ige and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce got down to business Friday afternoon at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
In his keynote address at the chamber’s Annual Membership and Installation Luncheon, Ige tackled the economic conditions on Hawaii Island and what his administration has done to help improve them.
At the top of the list was the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole regaining several direct flights from Japan, including Hawaiian Airlines flights three times weekly and Japan Airlines daily direct service, which is set to resume in coming weeks.
“I think (most) importantly, it allows us to have a more diverse portfolio,” Ige said.
He added increased international traffic in Kona, as well as the ability to accommodate more in the future with coming upgrades, creates a much needed safety net for the state’s visitor industry in the event of any disruptions at Honolulu International Airport — the fourth busiest international arrival hub in the nation.
“Through May, visitor arrivals here is up 13 percent, and most importantly, visitor spending is up almost 20 percent here on the island of Hawaii,” Ige said to a rousing round of applause.
The reaction to the governor’s speech among chamber members — as well as to the business climate across the island, and particularly in West Hawaii — held that positive note through the end of the luncheon and afterward.
Marc Miranda, with Pacific Media Group, said increased visitation from international markets has opened up advertising opportunities for a wide variety of businesses — which is particularly good news for a multi-platformed media company.
“The flights coming into Kona are having a huge impact on our sales,” he explained. “We see the direct impact of that immediately, more so than I think any other industry would see it except the tourism industry. So we feel that immediately, and it’s been really a good year for us in that way.”
Mark Watson of Hawaii Workplace, a human resources and payroll outsourcing firm that primarily services small businesses in Hawaii, hailed some of the governor’s policies as impacting small business growth on Hawaii Island.
Beyond general growth, Watson also mentioned the new flights as important to a lot of new, innovative small businesses cropping up. He added pushes at a state level for more renewable energy and local food production have helped to foster new economic opportunities while accounting for environmental concerns.
As to the business climate in general, Watson said the trends have been positive of late.
“I would say there was a big wave about a year ago, and then it seemed like it was really up-trending,” he said. “It seems now like it’s leveled off a little bit, but it’s definitely a lot better than it was a few years ago.”
Ige also touched on a heavy investment in public education, despite having $800 million less to spend in this year’s budget than initial projections indicated. He specifically noted early college options as a priority.
“The private schools can’t do what we do in early college,” Ige said. “For us to give our students in every high school across the state the ability to take college level courses at the same time they’re earning high school credit really saves you and me a lot of money … and most importantly, they’ll be able to graduate two years ahead of the curve.”
Watson said that initiative stuck out to him as well.
“A lot of people raised here go off to college and some don’t come back,” he said. “Being able to retain some of that talent here is really important.”
But it wasn’t all positivity and pats on the back Friday.
Miranda said there are several ways the economic situation on the Big Island could improve — chief among them is transportation, namely the stalled work on Queen Kaahumanu Highway that recently resumed.
“I think that would help our infrastructure … and if they could be more timely on those improvements, it’d be great for our business climate,” Miranda explained. “The transportation issues going back and forth is what kind of stymies a lot of things.”
Ige — who also signed HB 186 to extend a program to help fight the coffee berry borer beetle while in West Hawaii — addressed the highway concern as well in his speech.
“I know that any work stoppage is really not a good thing,” Ige said. “We were able to restart Queen Kaahumanu Phase Two and hopefully we can get through and complete the project.”
