Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lingle Endorses Obama's Tourism Plan
By Gov. Linda Lingle @ 6:59 PM :: 10220 Views :: Energy, Environment, National News, Ethics, World News, Family

STATEMENT FROM GOV. LINDA LINGLE ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S PLANS TO BOOST TOURISM AND TRAVEL

News Release from www.Lingle2012.com

HONOLULU - Former Governor Linda Lingle, candidate for Hawaii's U.S. Senate seat, released the following statement after President Obama announced a plan this morning to boost tourism and travel.

"President Obama's statements in Florida today are in line with the tourism-boosting programs and initiatives I advocated and worked for while Governor of Hawaii. If I am elected, I would be pleased to support the President's tourism focused policies. With tourism and related businesses making up nearly 10% of our nation's GDP and employing more than 14 million Americans, we need a strong, coordinated policy at the federal level to address tourism issues, including streamlining the visa process and expanding the Visa Waiver Program. Through a common sense approach to tourism policy and welcoming more of our neighbors from abroad, we can create more jobs in Hawaii and help restore the American economy," said Governor Linda Lingle

As Governor, Lingle traveled to China in 2005 to meet with Shao Qiwei, the chairman of the Chinese National Tourism Administration, where she laid groundwork for an agreement between the State of Hawaii and China to increase two-way travel. In 2009, Gov. Lingle met with then U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman to establish certainty for interview times for Chinese travelers applying for a visa, designating a "trouble-shooting" point-of-contact at each U.S. consulate in China to focus on visa issuance and a process to facilitate last-minute travel applications. With the average Chinese tourist spending $325 a day in Hawaii, easing the travel process will inject more cash into the local economy, the former governor explained.

"As the former Mayor of the County of Maui and Governor of the State of Hawaii, I have had extensive experience with fostering the development and refinement of the hospitality industry in a manner that respects the host culture while giving our visitors a memorable experience that encourages repeat visits. As Senator, I intend to be an active policy advocate for the development and expansion of tourism as a key component of America's economic recovery. I will work to develop a coordinated federal policy that includes expanding the visa waiver program and expediting the issuance of visas to overseas visitors without compromising national security.

"The President's plan to boost processing capacity for non-immigrant visas in major U.S. bound travel markets like China and Brazil and expand the Visa Waiver Program is a good policy for America and will benefit Hawaii's tourism industry. During my 2005 trip to South Korea, I led a 50-member delegation of Hawaii state officials and business leaders to promote travel to our islands and better understand the visa application procedure Korean citizens must endure in order to visit the United States. After personally visiting the U.S. Embassy and experiencing the lengthy process, my Administration and I focused on developing a special policy with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to give preferential visa reviews to Korean citizens who hoped to celebrate their honeymoons in Hawaii. We also lobbied the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to grant Korea a visa waiver country status in order to significantly increase tourism to Hawaii. I am pleased to say the U.S. granted the visa waiver in 2008 which now allows South Koreans to travel to the America for up to 90 days without going through the burdensome visa process. Expanding this program will open Hawaii to more economic opportunities, serving our international partners as the gateway to the West," Gov. Lingle added.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, if tourism in the United States could be restored to the year 2000 levels of visitors to the country, 1.3 million jobs would be created.

Governor Lingle's policy statement on the visitor industry can be read on her campaign website at http://www.lingle2012.com/hawaii-issues-politics/#visitor.

A video on the Governor's tourism focus can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ESxlW8u_Y&feature=autoplay&list=PLD3FCDD20DE3D3EFE&playnext=1

Additional information on the Linda Lingle Senate campaign is available at www.Lingle2012.com . Follow the campaign on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Lingle2012, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Lingle2012, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/Lingle2012.

# # # #

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT