Looking for Things to do in Hawaiʻi?

The Polynesian Cultural Center was awarded USA Today’s Reader’s Choice Award 2024 for 1st Place in “Best Family Attraction in Hawaiʻi.”

Not only does this award put the Polynesian Culture Center at the top for best attractions on Oʻahu, but it recognizes the Center as the best attraction for all the islands that comprise the state of Hawaiʻi. The award identifies the Polynesian Culture Center as a definite “must see” for any guests visiting the islands.

Awards and how they help.

Planning a trip and feeling overwhelmed? What do all those awards listed on the attraction’s website mean? Just looking at an awards list itself can be daunting–especially if you don’t have a clue what that award really means or how the venu earned that award. “Friend recommendations”—you know, the ones when friends say, “You gotta see this….”—can be helpful, but also constricting. What if those people don’t like the same type of activity you do?

Awards logos posted to websites might also seem overwhelming if you don’t know the presenter or how the award is determined. But using awards you understand as guidelines to plan your trip may be your best bet for ensuring that your experience meets your expectations. Let me see if I can help you understand what each award is saying, how it was earned, and what it means to the company.

USA TODAY

USA Today publishes their 10 BEST READER’S CHOICE AWARDS on a yearly schedule. Categories include travel, art, cuisine, entertainment, and attractions. The organization employs a panel of experts in their hometown cities and specific fields.sThis ensures the panel is comfortable and aware of all the things that are happening in the area so they can nominate in an informed way. The panel members submit their recommendations to the 10 Best editors.

 Once the recommendations have been submitted, the 10 BEST editors select the final set of nominees; 20 from each category. The nominees are published to the website. From there, anyone who has access to the website can vote for their favorite winner in each category. And each person can vote more than once. Readers can vote once a day for 30 days, so essentially readers can vote 30 times for their favorites.

Random readers cannot nominate anyone; nominations must come from the panel. And no one is allowed to “guest post” an opinion about any of the nominees. Nominees cannot pay for a listing or pay to be included in the Best List. The USA Today team wants to ensure against discriminating bias, and therefore provides only the very best nominations for their readers—not a list of businesses trying to buy the prize.

This award means the Polynesian Cultural Center was recommended by experts visiting the center, participating in the experiences, eating the food, watching the show, and then comparing their experiences with those they had at other venues offered on the Hawaiian Islands. The public vote affirmed their choice. The Polynesian Culture Center was selected by the readers from over 20 different venues across the United States.

When you see a travel option with the USA TODAY’S READER’S CHOICE AWARD attached, you can be sure the experience has been reviewed and recommended by people who know what they are looking for.

TRIPADVISOR

Tripadvisor has awarded the Polynesian Culture Center TRAVELERSʻ CHOICE AWARD 2024.

This means that travelers like you have chosen the Polynesian Cultural Center as one of the top 10% of worldwide attractions.

Tripadvisor promotes two different awards: Best of the Best (highest honor) and Travelersʻ Choice. Travelers use the company to plan excursions, then rate their experiences within the Tripadvisor site. The company uses a panel of experts to read and review all the comments and ratings made by travelers over a 12-month period. Nominations are catalogued, ratings are tallied, and awards are presented.

With this Travelersʻ Choice Award 2024 win, the Polynesian Culture Center has received this award four times. The Center continues to be recognized by travelers as a premier worldwide destination. This award indicates that the Polynesian Cultural Center continues to strive to provide a quality and enjoyable experience that becomes a lasting memory for individuals and families. Be sure to add the Polynesian Cultural Center to your “places to experience” in your trip to Hawaiʻi.

HAWAII’S BEST AWARD

The Hawaii’s Best Award is from local businesses. This award recognizes venues the community believes are best in their categories. This accolade from it’s business peers helps tourists plan for local activities that the residents include in their own plans, or when entertaining out-of-town guests. The award is bestowed on a company for excellence, and not because the company has a membership or paid for the advertisement.

The Polynesian Cultural Center has consistently won first place as the Best Tourist Attraction since 2019. Before that, the Center placed in the top 3 of Best Hawaiʻi tourist attractions from 2009 forward. Because of their long-term commitment to excellence, the Polynesian Cultural Center continues to provide an immerersive cultural experience for all who visit.

BEST OF HONOLULU

Best of Honolulu is a local magazine that opens “Best of...” award voting to its readership. Readers are invited to submit ballots for their personal favorites in a variety of areas. The ballots are then tallied, and the award is presented to the winner.

The Polynesian Cultural Center won Best Place to Experience Cultural Activities in 2024, and Best Place to Take Out-of-towners in 2023. You can be sure the local readership thinks the Polynesian Cultural Center is definitely worth it to attend and share with their friends.

Planning on touring Hawaiʻi?

Planning a trip to a local venue or touring the world, one canʻt go wrong by paying attention to the awards each venue receives. These primary awards can provide the best information about what the experience includes: the available activities, food, and lodging. Knowing the awards are generated by specialists in their fields or patrons, and are not paid advertisements, ensures that you are experiencing the best there is to offer in that locale. The Polynesian Cultural Center has consistently placed in the top bracket for Hawaiʻi attractions. That consistency is a reflection of the dedication the Polynesian Cultural Center has to its guests, and to the diversity of the cultures it represents. Mahalo, and happy travels!

Peggy Arsenault, recognized she could be 50 years old with or without a college degree. She holds a masters in Adult Education. Living her best life, she is volunteering with the Polynesian Cultural Center. She loves dessert for breakfast, traveling, reading, trying new things, and hanging with grandchildren. A baker, research editor, and college professor, her blogs profile new adventures with food, travel, and culture while basking in the joy of living on the North Shore.