Obama Tourism Doesn't Hit Hawaii

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Hawaii is a tourist Mecca.  It is mostly known for its beaches and volcanoes, and perhaps for it coffee.  But lately the 50th state has been in the news for another reason: it was the birthplace of president elect Barack Obama. 

In Kenya, Obama’s ancestral homeland, a wave of excitement has led to Obama-themed safaris and visits to the small town where his father was born. 

It would make sense that Hawaii would have its own version of the Obama tourism trend.  But, aside from a handful of independent tour guides, there is relatively little interest in the neighborhoods of Honolulu where the next president spent his youth.

Other presidents’ home towns have experienced waves of tourism between election and swearing in.  Crawford, Texas and Hot Springs, Arkansas experienced a significant amount of presidential tourism after George Bush and Bill Clinton were elected to the highest office. 

But it doesn’t seem to be happening in Honolulu.  Perhaps the fact that it is not a simple road trip to get there has something to do with it.  Perhaps the lure of beaches and tropically themed cocktails hold precedent over the president’s childhood home. 

Perhaps this is a positive though.  Obama trinkets and walking tours around his old neighborhood and past his school will not make or break the economy.  In Crawford, there is little else to draw tourists.  In Honolulu, however, the economy is already hugely dependant on tourism.  Presidential-themed merchandise and tours will only constitute a small portion of tourism revenue.  When Obama-mania fades, there will be no backlash for the local economy. 

That said, his neighborhood and his school, the Punahou School, are an added attraction for people coming to visit Hawaii’s capital city.  Whether they continue to draw a few tourist or whether the area explodes as a tourist destination depends, in large part, on how Obama performs in office.