http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20130922__USS_Missouris_decks_welcome_Chinese_visitors.html?id=224765162

USSMissouri's decks welcome Chinese visitors - Hawaii News Honolulu Star-Advertiser

StarAdvertiser.com

USSMissouri's decks welcome Chinese visitors
The ship is seeing an influx of tourists as it expands its online outreach
By William ColePOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 22, 2013

The number of Chinese-speaking visitors making a stop at
the Battleship Missouri Memorial is rising meteorically as
many head for history and shopping in Hawaii rather thanthe waves.
The battleship museum, the site of Japan's World War II
surrender in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, saw 2,004 visitors
make reservations for Chinese guided tours in 2011, 5,796
in 2012 and 10,447 through August of this year, officials
said.
ShuFen Chang, head of Chinese programs for the Mighty Mo, which is docked in Pearl Harbor, said someof those visitors are from Taiwan and other locations, but 85 percent are from mainland China.
The Missouri launched a concerted Chinese visitor program earlier this year, setting up a
Chinese-language informational website where reservations can be made as well as a Chinese Facebook
page. It also is microblogging on China's Weibo service.
"With China being one of our fastest-growing tourism markets, we wanted to offer Chinese-speaking
visitors easy access to information about the USS Missouri and its history, and more importantly, provide
them with the tools to communicate with us," said Michael Carr, president and chief operating officer forthe Missouri.
Six Chinese-speaking tour guides are on staff.
The Missouri noted that the battleship is significant in China's history as well, with Gen. Hsu Yung-Changsigning Japan's "Instrument of Surrender" in 1945 on behalf of China aboard the Missouri, bringing an endto World War II.
The big ship also is popular with the Chinese for its starring role in the 2012 Universal Pictures sci-fi movie"Battleship.""I think that helped as well" with the visitor counts, said Missouri spokeswoman Jaclyn Hawse. "(Themovie) was actually a big hit in the Chinese market and topped their list of movies, and so I think theinterest lies there as well with them wanting to see the actual place where it was filmed."
Page 1 of 2

Sep 24, 2013 03:24:20PM MDThttp://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20130922__USS_Missouris_decks_welcome_Chinese_visitors.html?id=224765162

Hawse added, "That's more for the younger generation, and then the history buffs come simply becauseof the history and (China's) presence here at the end of World War II."
Chinese visitors are on a steady rise, but the numbers from Japan are still much greater overall.
The Missouri reported 20,125 visitors seeking Japanese tours in 2011, 24,939 in 2012 and 16,649 throughAugust.
In 2012, a visa waiver program made it easier for Taiwanese to visit the United States, and some airlines
offer direct flights to Hawaii from Taiwan and mainland China, Hawse said. Hawaiian Airlines received
approval for flights between Honolulu and Beijing in 2014.
China has been identified by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority as a major growth market.
Many Chinese forgo the beach for bustling days of shopping and sightseeing at the Battleship Missouri
and Pearl Harbor's other museums, including the USS Arizona Memorial, Pacific Aviation Museum PearlHarbor and USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.
"There's no doubt shopping is the No. 1 activity," CJ Chen, managing director of Hawaiiwedding.cn, saidback in June.
Chinese are the top daily spenders in Hawaii, shelling out an average of nearly $400 a day compared toJapanese, the second highest group, who spend $290 daily.
———
Star-Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers contributed to this story.
Copyright (c) Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Page 2 of 2

Sep 24, 2013 03:24:20PM MDT