Hawaii is smokin'

TOURISM officials in Hawaii are giving out flowery portable ashtrays in a bid to attract the lucrative young and smoking Japanese market back to the islands.

But the state-backed Smoking with Aloha campaign to reassure Japanese tourists they can smoke in Hawaii has angered anti-smoking groups.

"Japanese believe that Hawaii is smoke-free, and Hawaii bookings, especially for the group market, have suffered,'' said Yumi Ozaki, local director for Hawaii Tourism Japan, which has the state contract to market Hawaii travel in Japan.

Hawaii Tourism Japan, which markets Hawaii tourism in Japan, is trying to educate Japanese about the Smoke-Free Hawaii law that went into effect in December.

Among other things, it prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars and public buildings. But it does not ban all smoking.

The ashtrays, some 40,000 of which were made at a cost of about $1 each, are being distributed mainly by Japanese travel agents and wholesalers to smoking clients.

The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii criticised the campaign.

"We shouldn't give the message that aloha means smoking,'' said Kathy Harty, interim president of the coalition.

"It's very unfortunate that they chose to go that route. Why don't they give non-smokers who chose to come here a lei? This is not really sending a message that Hawaii is concerned about good health,'' she said.