BUSINESS BRIEFS
Fewer cruise port calls on Big Island
Advertiser staff
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The Big Island will see fewer cruise ships making port calls this year.
Schedules for 2009 indicate that the vessels will have 100 arrivals, bringing more than 200,000 passengers ashore at Hilo Harbor. That's down from 128 calls and more than 250,000 passengers last year.
In 2007, a year some consider the island's passenger ship heyday, 500,000 passengers arrived.
The decrease this year apparently is due to the loss of two Norwegian Cruise Lines vessels — the Pride of Hawaii a year ago and the Pride of Aloha last May.
Both ships carried more than 2,000 passengers and both arrived several times a month.
Local tourist attractions are likely to be affected, including the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens at Onomea Bay and the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo.
HAWAIIAN TO UPGRADE ENTERTAINMENT
Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley on Monday will unveil a personalized in-flight entertainment system being installed in each seatback of Hawaiian's new Airbus A330-200 jets at a cost of $2 million per aircraft.A fully interactive demonstration model of the new system will be on display in Honolulu International Airport's interisland terminal starting at 1 p.m. Monday.
Hawaiian's first two Airbus A330s are scheduled to join the fleet in early 2010, and will give the airline the capability to introduce nonstop service to new routes in North America and Asia.
SHOPPING CENTERS GET NEW MANAGER
Colliers Monroe Friedlander is assuming management of two Maui retail centers: Fairway Shops at Ka'anapali and Napili Plaza in West Maui.The two shopping centers totaling about 80,000 square feet were bought about a year ago by an affiliate of California-based real estate investment and development firm Festival Cos.
Colliers had already been handling leasing activities at the two centers for Festival, and will continue in that role.
With the addition, Colliers said it leases and manages about 6.7 million square feet of office, retail, industrial and other commercial property in Hawai'i.
