Why Hawaii’s Big Island?

International Appeal

Hawaii Island is a land of such colorful, exotic ethnic and cultural diversity that a drive around the island can seem like a trip around the Pacific Rim. First and foremost, we have the native Hawaiian culture, visible in everything from ancient petroglyphs and temple sites to hula festivals and sumptuous luaus.

Interwoven with the aloha of our host culture are all the manifestations of the other peoples of the world who have come here and long since made the Big Island home – Japanese bon dances beneath the colored paper lanterns at Buddhist temples, Portuguese cowboys riding and roping at rodeos, Chinese New Year dragons dancing among exploding firecrackers, soaring Samoan choirs singing at church, and passionate Tahitian men and women dancing and glistening in the moonlight.

There is the cultural feast, then there is the feast that fills our plates. You will find a whole world of food on Hawaii Island – sushi from Japan, pork adobo from the Philippines, char siu from China, peanut sauce from Thailand, spring rolls from Vietnam, and yes, bellissimo pizza and pasta, muy delicioso tortillas, and the famous marriage of Pacific and Asian , known as Hawaii Regional Cuisine, which uses the fresh ideas from inspired local chefs, and fresh Big Island ingredients – fish, beef, lamb, vegetables and fruit – from our farmers and ranchers.

And yet, we all speak English – and often Hawaiian or Japanese or Cantonese or Mandarin or Tagalog or Portuguese or Spanish or French or – well, you get the idea.

So if you or your clients need help with translation, teleconferencing, special diets, protocols, customs or other cultural matters, there are people here to assist you.