Hawaii website full of travel info -- and plenty of plugs

The people who have just relaunched a website for visitors to Hawaii say they are not in competition with the state’s official travel site.

Hawaii.com draws content from its jointly-owned publications, including the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, but it is much more advertiser-driven than the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau’s gohawaii.com.

A visit to both websites makes the difference abundantly clear.

Hawaii.com’s Oahu front page features a brief overview of the island before leading readers to specific categories such as “What to Do” and “Where to Stay.” Five of the six activity suggestions are pitches for specific commercial attractions such as a bus tour and a zip-line adventure.

Only one listing -- a piece titled “Hiking Maunawili Trail,” -- doesn’t plug a specific business. Instead, it features intriguing content about the trail and points out that President Obama and his family have hiked there. The article also provides a useful tip: Put valuables in your car’s trunk while parked.

The state’s Oahu site includes sponsored content, but it’s more subtly presented. For example, one suggested activity is “Learn How to Surf on Oahu.” Clicking through to that page, there’s plenty of useful, ad-free content. Only people who scroll down far enough will see listings for 47 “featured partners” with brief descriptions and links to their websites.

Dennis Francis, president of Oahu Publications, Hawaii.com’s owner, noted in a news release that visitors to the site are eligible for perks such as discounts on vacation packages and prizes. He added that he expects his website will “enhance” the efforts of state tourism officials.

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