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KAILUA, Hawaii — Tourism officials hope images of a president celebrating a warm Christmas in Hawaii will remind mainlanders that a sunny getaway awaits them if they would just hop on a plane.
Although officials don’t expect President Barack Obama’s visit to attract tourists immediately, they hope it will provide free advertising for a financially struggling state that relies on travelers to keep its economy afloat.
But most efforts to capitalize on Obama’s fame haven’t proven successful, said Rob Kay, who highlights places from Obama’s childhood on his website “Obama’s Neighborhood.”
“The nascent Obama tourism industry never really took off,” Kay said. “It’s hard to anticipate that his visit will bring any kind of boom, but it can’t hurt.”
