Plans to offer Korean and Chinese cultural training at community colleges across the state to prepare for an expected upswing in those visitors have stalled as the visitor industry scales back because of the stumbling economy.

Kapi'olani Community College is the primary coordinator statewide in the University of Hawai'i system in offering Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultural training geared to the visitor industry. Some private schools also are training individuals and groups.

Classes were scheduled to start on O'ahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island last month or this month. But Kapi'olani program coordinator Lance Sato said the visitor industry's expected support for the program dried up.

"Everything just slowed down because of the bad economy," Sato said. With layoffs looming and the state clocking double-digit declines in arrivals, "everyone is reluctant to commit to training."

An ease in travel restrictions for visitors from Korea and China has officials predicting the number of tourists from those areas will double over the next two years.

The potential is drawing interest especially because the number of Japanese visitors has been declining from a peak of nearly 2.2 million in 1997 to less than 1.2 million Japanese visitors last year.

Industry officials wanted to prepare in advance for cultural sensitivity, something that often was learned by trial and gaffe with Japanese visitors.

Sato said he'd been getting requests from retailers for the training beginning in October, especially from some of the pricier stores wanting to be ready to cater to clientele with different customs.

One tip he's already heard: Chinese customers in retail stores prefer sales clerks to stand back and wait to be asked for assistance, while Americans expect the clerks to greet and offer help.

But by the time he started to schedule Chinese and Korean culture/language classes, Sato found most backing out because of the decline in the economy.

At Kaua'i Community College, training coordinator Tracy Hirano said a class of five four-hour sessions is scheduled to begin Feb. 18, but so far only one person has signed up of about a dozen needed to make it worth having.

"We're discussing it; we may have to cancel ours, too," he said. "The economy just went kaput."

"We're hearing of layoffs at all of the resort properties," Hirano said. "They may not invest money in an employee they may not have around in a couple of months."

He said the classes may be postponed until summer or fall.

At Hawai'i Community College on the Big Island, coordinator Deborah Shigehara said classes there will be postponed until March.

"The people who requested it aren't signing up," she said. "We really want to give them an intensive training."

Shigehara is hopeful that with planning, those interested may be able to tap employment and training funds to reduce the cost.

Sato said the economic reality has staggered the program. "Most people that I spoke to know how important it is to prepare people for the coming of the Chinese and Koreans. They wanted to get a head start on it," he said.

Sato has been in the business since the 1980s and knows that companies often trim training first, which he sees as short-sighted in the long run of seeking economic recovery.

"I think that's one of the biggest mistakes businesses make in a downturn," Sato said.