STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2899

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 52

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 52 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM AND THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS TO INCREASE VISITORS FROM TAIWAN, AND REQUESTING THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO EXPAND THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAM TO INCLUDE TAIWAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request:

     (1)  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Hawaii Tourism Authority to implement programs to increase the number of visitors from Taiwan;

     (2)  The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the United States Department of Homeland Security to add Taiwan to the list of visa waivers;

     (3)  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Hawaii Tourism Authority to assist and cooperate with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the United States Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the inclusion of Taiwan on the visa waiver list; and

     (4)  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop a list of Hawaii-made products appropriate for exportation to Taiwan.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from two individuals.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Tourism Liaison; and the Hawaii Tourism Authority provided comments.

     Your Committee finds that although the Taiwan visitor market is a promising potential source of tourists to Hawaii, in 2007, only 587,000 visitors from Taiwan arrived in the United States, just 6.5 per cent of the total outbound travelers from Taiwan.  In addition, the 6.5 per cent figure for 2007 represented a continuing decline of 6.8 per cent from 2006, and a ten per cent decline from 2005.  In 2006, approximately 15,450 Taiwanese visited Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would benefit Hawaii tourism, which faces a slowdown in visitor arrivals, according to recent projections by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 52 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and International Affairs,

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair