Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, Jr. will travel separately to Asia next week to promote travel to Hawai'i as well as business investments and partnerships with the state.

Between them, the two leaders will visit Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Japan and Republic of Korea with the goal of increasing Asian visitors to Hawai'i, especially from emerging markets such as China, which earlier this year eased restrictions on leisure travel to the United States, as well as South Korea, where travelers will be eligible to visit the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program starting Nov. 17.

The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has predicted the number of tourists who come from South Korea to Hawai'i will double to 80,000 in the first year of the program and double again in 2010 to 160,000. The distance between Hawai'i and Seoul is about the same as between Hawai'i and Atlanta. In the peak before the 1990s Asian economic collapse, South Korea sent up to 122,000 tourists a year to Hawai'i.

In addition, Lingle and Aiona will meet with Asian airline officials to seek new air service and increases in the number of flights and/or seats from key Asian cities to Hawai'i's international airports in Honolulu, Kona and Hilo. They will also strengthen opportunities to expand business investments and partnerships, with a specific focus on renewable energy.

"The Asia tourism and business trips, which have been in the planning for several months, are part of my administration's five-point plan to create jobs and stimulate the economy," Lingle said. "It is critical that we do all we can to reach out to our traditional visitor base in Japan as well as emerging markets such as China and Korea to encourage people to visit Hawai'i'i, and to ensure our state is well-positioned with increased flights and air seat capacity."

In addition to increased tourism and marketing outreach, the Lingle-Aiona administration's plan includes increasing outside investment, especially in energy and technology; investing in public infrastructure and capital improvement projects; reducing fees and taxes; and maximizing federal funds and partnerships.

Earlier this year, in meetings with Hawai'i'i hotel executives, industry leaders encouraged the governor and lieutenant governor to increase the state's tourism outreach and marketing, including visiting key visitor markets to promote travel to the Islands.