For Immediate Release: April 23, 2004
DBEDT Release News 04-11

HONOLULU—The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Department of Agriculture are seeking Hawaii businesses to join a major Hawaii business and product promotion in the new Xintiandi (XTD) entertainment district in Shanghai, China, on July 25-31.

Hawaii sponsors and participants will have opportunities to promote products and services through a limited number of exhibit spaces, commercial retailers and restaurants at Xintiandi.

Hawaii products featured in this promotion will include:

• Hawaii merchandise
• Made-In-Hawaii product sampling and sales
• Hawaii culture, music and entertainment

"This promotion will help Hawaii businesses explore a vast new market for Hawaii's arts, culture, products and services in China's hottest gateway into their domestic market," said DBEDT Director Theodore E. Liu. "This exclusive 'Hawaii only' event will introduce the diversity of Hawaii's arts and culture to the Chinese market and to pave the way for expanded opportunities for Hawaii businesses."

The local management firm Events International has been retained to work with all participants to coordinate Hawaii's opportunities for exposure and networking.

Events International will offer a travel package that will include round trip air from Honolulu, accommodations, VISA & Immigration fees and Shanghai Airport to hotel ground transportation.

Support for this promotion is provided by The Shui On Group and Hawaii's business sector participants in cooperation with the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and the Department of Agriculture. Supporting services are provided by the US Department of Commerce and Hawaii Tourism Asia.

For more information contact Judy Drosd at DBEDT at 808-586-2364 or via email at jdrosd@dbedt.hawaii.gov or David Booth of Events International at 808-734-6900 or via email at: david@eventsint.com.

About Xintiandi:

The Xintiandi cultural center provides the ideal venue for both product and cultural promotion, as tens of thousands of people convene on a daily basis to shop, dine and mingle.

Shanghai Xintiandi is an urban tourist attraction imbued with the city's historical and cultural legacies. With a display area of 320,000 square feet and a gross floor area of 650,000 square feet, Shanghai Xintiandi features a multitude of unique restaurant, retail, entertainment, cultural, recreational, commercial and residential facilities in restored "Shikumen" houses - a special old form of building architecture only found in Shanghai - as well as state-of-the-art new buildings, catering to both residents and visitors. For more on Xintiandi please go to www.xintiandi.com.

About Shanghai:

The city of Shanghai is the biggest city in China with a population of about 15 million with over 8 million in its city proper. It is ranked with the world's most populous cities Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paolo, and New York. Shanghai is a showcase of metropolitan growth, tourist attractions, business opportunities and cultural activities.

About the China Market:

China is the fourth largest country in terms of size and the largest in terms of population. China is the seventh largest economy and has the youngest population in all of Asia. The total value of goods and services has been growing at a double-digit rate for over 20 years. Although growth figures are now in the single digits (about 7.3 percent), this is a large market that cannot be ignored. The World Bank estimates by the year 2025 China's economy will account for 25 percent of the total World Economy.

For more information, contact:
Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov