The word "Hawaii" comes from Polynesian. Around the 4th century AD, a group of Polynesians arrived in canoes across the waves and settled here. They named the island "Hawaii", which means "original home". The first European to discover the islands was Spanish Juan Gaetano, but it was the British navigator Captain Cook who truly made Hawaii known to the world, who landed on the Hawaiian Islands in 1778. In 1795, Chief Kamehameha conquered other tribes and established the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1898, Hawaii was annexed by the United States and became the 50th state in 1959.
Hawaii is a pearl in the Pacific. It is 3,846 kilometers east of San Francisco, USA, 6,200 kilometers west of Tokyo, Japan, and 8,890 kilometers west of Hong Kong. It is the hub of sea and air transportation in the Pacific region.
Mark Twain said: Hawaii is the most beautiful island in the ocean and the loveliest fleet of islands anchored in the ocean.
The Hawaiian Islands are a crescent-shaped island chain composed of 124 small islands and 8 large islands. They are embedded in the waters of the central Pacific Ocean, so they have the "Pacific Crossroads" and "America's Gateway to the Asia-Pacific" "Gateway". Its land area is 16,641 square kilometers. The largest island is Hawaii, which is composed of 5 volcanoes. Among them, Kilauea volcano is the most active volcano in the world. The Mauna Loa volcano erupts every few years, and fiery lava slowly flows out from the gaps in the mountain, becoming a major wonder in Hawaii. Oahu is the third largest island and is also the political and cultural center of Hawaii, where the capital Honolulu is located. 80% of the state's 1.1 million people live on the island. Famous places in Hawaii include: Honolulu, Wilkie Beach and Pearl Harbor.
Hawaii is located in the tropics, but has a mild and pleasant climate. Its economy is based on agriculture, mainly producing sugar cane and pineapples. Fishing is also an important part of the local economy. In recent years, Hawaii's tourism industry has developed by leaps and bounds, and tourism revenue has ranked first among all industries. In 1991, tourism revenue was US$10 billion, twice the total revenue from the state's three main economic sectors: defense industry, sugar and pineapple, making it an important economic pillar.
Hawaii is one of the places with the most developed tourism industry in the world. However, it is not the scenic spots and historic sites that attract tourists, but its uniquely beautiful environment and the traditional enthusiasm, friendliness and sincerity of the Hawaiian people. Hawaii has beautiful scenery and charming beaches. The sun, moon, nebula and clouds change the colorful scenery: under the clear sky, the beautiful Wilkie Beach is covered with parasols like flowers; in the sunset, the banana grove and coconut trees on the shore sing softly for lovers; under the moonlight, Polynesian people Singing and dancing on the straw mat. The sound of Hawaii's flowers and the rhythm of the sea play a beautiful romantic song for tourists.
Hawaiian people are simple and hospitable. When the sightseeing ship approached the sea off Hawaii, a large group of enthusiastic Hawaiian girls approached the ship in a small boat, giving strings of colorful garlands to the tourists, and shouting the welcome slogan "Aloha", fully expressing their The most sincere welcome. Aloha is a native language, generally interpreted as welcome, hello, etc., expressing friendship and blessing. Everyone who comes to Hawaii learns this sentence. "Aloha" also means "I love you." The garland is called "Lei", and Hawaiians always hold garlands in their hands. When meeting acquaintances, welcoming or farewell guests, they all give garlands, just like we shake hands when we meet. So in Hawaii, you often see people wearing - twenty leis.
Hula dance is the most unforgettable thing among tourists. Hula, also known as "hula dance", is a dance that focuses on the movements of the hands, feet and waist. On a moonlit night, in the cool breeze of the coconut grove, a young man wearing a Hawaiian shirt holds a guitar, plays beautiful music, and expresses his love in his heart with a low voice. The dancing girls, hanging with garlands and wearing golden grass skirts, showed graceful postures in line with the melody and rhythm of the music. The pure feelings, the welcoming atmosphere, and the picturesque mood are intoxicating and lingering. The dance that praises the "Volcano Goddess" is also popular among tourists. The volcanic eruption shocked the native Hawaiians and left them with lingering fears. Therefore, they secretly believed that their world was controlled by the volcano goddess. So they made up a dance to praise the greatness of the "Volcano Goddess". Amidst the crazy primitive calls, a group of indigenous people with painted faces danced wildly around a blazing bonfire.
The Polynian Cultural Center on Oahu is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with lush tropical plants. The artificial lake divides the center into Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, Marquesas, The 7 villages including Maori represent 7 different cultures of Polynia. The buildings in each village maintain the traditional style of hundreds of years ago and reflect the national cultural characteristics from different aspects. It is a prime project to attract tourists.
Hawaii Island residents rely on the 7 million domestic and foreign tourists who come to Hawaii every year for most of their employment, personal income, and state government taxes. According to calculations by the Bank of Hawaii, the ripple effect of tourists' tourism expenditure there is 2, that is, every US$1 spent by tourists will increase the local gross product value by US$2. Tourism revenue accounts for 60% of the local gross product value, making Hawaii's economic growth rate always higher than the average growth level of the U.S. economy.
Since tourism plays a decisive role in Hawaii's economy, the Hawaii State Government attaches great importance to protecting the environment, protecting tourism resources, and developing "clean" industries, such as marine science, aquaculture, and tropical agriculture. , financial services, business centers, etc., in order to promote the development of tourism and, in the near future, promote economic development.
70% of tourists to Hawaii are from the United States, but in recent years there has been a large influx of Japanese tourists. In 1988, 8.5 million people from Japan traveled abroad, of which 1.3 million went to Hawaii, exceeding the number of tourists to the mainland United States. In recent years, the Japanese have purchased large amounts of land and other real estate in Hawaii, built hotels and villas, and both individuals and companies have invested there. Today, 80% of high-end hotels and almost all golf courses in Hawaii are owned by Japanese.
According to 1990 U.S. Census figures, people from Asia or the Pacific Islands accounted for 62% of Hawaii's 1.1 million population. Japanese are the largest Asian minority in Hawaii, followed by Filipinos, Aboriginals, Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Laotians and Thais. Intermarriage among various ethnic groups has become commonplace. It is said that one in every three people is a "mixed race". Miscegenation diluted racial boundaries and allowed all ethnic groups to live in harmony. Visitors can see the true meaning of Hawaii's reputation as an "ethnic paradise" from a fast food dish. It might be Japanese sugar-roasted beef, Irish-style beef stew, or Vienna sausage, Chinese Hanamaki, and Korean pancake. Tourists from all over the world can taste various snacks that suit their tastes at the snack bars here.