When Canada’s weather gets icy (like now!) a seven-night all-inclusive stay in the Caribbean needs no explanation. Who can blame any snowbird for continually choosing a vacation that lets them keep their wallet in the in-room safe for an entire week while soaking up the sun and filling up on unlimited everything?
So where does a Hawaiian vacation fit in? How can you sell Hawaii to clients who are all too familiar (and very much in love) with the sound of plastic snapping round their wrists? Here are three points to help you sell your next Hawaiian vacation.
1) Freedom.
While there is something incredibly freeing about spending a week with nothing about you but your swimsuit and flip-flops (seriously, no one’s knocking this) sometimes even resorts as big as European countries can feel a little enclosed when a day-excursion is your only way out. Especially for travellers who have chosen the all-inclusive getaway for many winter seasons, the idea of getting to explore not just a little outside the resort, but A LOT outside the resort can start to sound pretty enticing.
Sure, this may be a case where a bigger budget helps but where there’s a will there’s a way and with six Hawaiian Islands, and each one with its own distinct qualities, there is a world of options and the freedom to choose them on an Aloha trip.
Whether it’s exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, learning how to Standup Paddle Board on Maui in Napili Bay or going boutique shopping along the Waikiki Beach Walk, there is far too much to do for Hawaii visitors to ever feel confined.
2) Cuisine
Often with several restaurants, snack-bars, swim-up bars and room-service, travellers can find almost anything their craving among the massive buffet spreads and thought-out menus featured at various resorts.
If your clients are foodies, Hawaii may as well be the New York of island culinary options — especially on Oahu. With a diverse culture that includes many generations of Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and more intermingling with ancient Native Hawaiian cultures, this has created a culinary fusion in paradise unlike any other.
From Morimoto Waikiki to Mama’s Fish House on Maui to Hamura’s Saimin noodle shop on Kauai, travellers will find fine dining, ma-and-pop shops and even food truck options throughout the islands, featuring fresh cuisine that is uniquely Hawaiian.
3) Nature.
Yes, there are palm trees everywhere. And the crystal-blue Pacific Ocean is at every turn and powdery-white sand beaches go on for days. But through Hawaii’s islands travellers will also find black-sand beaches, giant sea turtles hanging out on the North Shore, volcanoes, Banyan Trees that could be right out of a scene from Lord of the Rings — and oh so much more.
For snowbirds travelling to Maui (December to April) there is also one more treat. Often all it takes is a drive down Honoapiilani Highway, between McGregor Point and Olowalu, to catch humpback whales soaring up out of the ocean and into the air.
