BY DAVID BUCK R, BIC – This coming November, all eyes will be on Hawaii as we host the 2011 APEC Convention.
APEC is the Asian Pacific Economic Corporation, which consists of the 21 largest economies in the Asia Pacific region.
Since the United States only has the opportunity to host this event every 21 years, we are fortunate that Hawaii has been selected.
The event runs November 7th-13th and Hawaii will host 21 leaders and 20,000 delegates from around the world. This will be a tremendous boost to both tourism and the local economy. Already, 80% of all Hawaii visitors come from APEC economies.
In the short term, we are expected to get a boost of $120 million. While in the long run, Hawaii will be put on the international map as there will be over 2,000 members of the global media transcending for this historic event.
You may want to plan in advance if you’re looking to visit then as hotel rates may be a little pricier than normal.
David Buck is a Hawaii realtor who writes for HawaiiLife.com