One of the nation's largest seller's of children's clothing, Hannah Andersson, was in Hawaii last week shooting for their Spring 2010 catalog. Two of my kids were chosen for the shoot.
They brought out 10 people for the shoot - photographers, makeup artists, producers, etc. You may not think of this in terms of 'tourism' but consider that 10 people had to fly to Hawaii, stay at a nice hotel (Ihilani at Ko Olina,) eat 3 meals a day, and pay local models (inclduing my kids), etc. I tried to estimate what they spent while they were here, and I stopped counting after about $10,000.
We love to see mainland companies coming to Hawaii to spend their money here! It helps our economy so much and gives us great publicity. Think about all the hotel workers, cab drivers, restaraunt owners, et. al., who benefited from this one photo shoot.
While some people think of Oahu as mainly a tourist island, it's also a destination for businesses like this. Movies, magazines, TV shows, and more, are constantly all over our island. From way back when "From here to Eternity" was filmed in Hawaii Kai, to LOST's current production, Hawaii is constantly in demand. Next week there are 24,000+ visitors coming to the Honolulu convention center, bringing more business to our island. Maybe some of them will buy some real estate?
So regardless of the swings of tourism, we still see plenty of visitors every year. Mahalo all you people who come to visit Hawaii, on business or vacation!