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17 Chinese couples to marry simultaneously at Hilton

MEDIA RELEASE

KOHALA COAST — Marry me on Monday. That’s what 17 Chinese couples will do Monday, Dec. 1 at Hilton Waikoloa Village, as cameras from China’s popular Tianjin TV showcase a Hawaiian ceremony to more than 1 million Chinese viewers.

It’s the second time Tianjin TV has filmed a Chinese wedding show at the oceanfront Hilton Waikoloa Village, and Big Island Visitors Bureau Executive Director George Applegate said the timing for the mass matrimony is perfect.

“Hawaii is going to be getting a big increase in Chinese travelers now because of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in December 2007, facilitating group leisure travel to the U.S.,” Applegate said. “Before, only business or government travel from China to the U.S. was allowed.” 

Hawaii and other U.S. destinations can now promote and market their destinations in China, as a result of the MOU.

Applegate said BIVB’s sales team just returned from Shanghai, where it participated in the China International Travel Mart, sharing the Big Island message with thousands of Chinese travel professionals and consumers. 

While the Chinese enthusiasm for Hawaii is strong, the knowledge of what distinguishes the Island of Hawaii from the rest of Hawaii is not, Applegate said, and the upcoming exposure on Tianjin TV will raise awareness.

Last year, 12 couples were betrothed at Hilton Waikoloa Village in a ceremony that featured Hawaiian music and hula. Monday’s ceremony also will be Hawaiian-inspired, and with a live performance of the Hawaiian Wedding Song.  

Tianjin is a municipality in China, and is where most of the wedding couples live.

Hawaii received 38,972 visitors from China in 2007, according to DBEDT. Through September 2008, 40,535 Chinese visitors have traveled to the state of Hawaii, representing a 4 percent increase, year-over-year through the third quarter 2008.

6 Responses to “17 Chinese couples to marry simultaneously at Hilton”

  1. Maile says:

    Tianjin is not a province! It is a city and municipality!

  2. Karin says:

    Maile – Noted and corrected. Thanks! – Karin

  3. damon says:

    Isn’t that the great thing about this form of media.

    Once it’s in print… it’s hard to take things back.

    Online, it’s easy to correct and give credit instantly to those who find errors.

    I’m constantly getting assistance from my readers and/or corrections.

  4. Karin says:

    Damon – yup, and our carbon footprint is … well, tree-friendly! – Karin

  5. Maile says:

    Hey Karin,

    Whoa, that was fast! Nice! (And forgive me for being uptight.)

    :)

    Love the site! Keep up the good work!

  6. Irondog says:

    My bad about TianJin — I should have fact-checked the info provided to me before assuming it was true. My apologies!

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