PCC wins USA Today “10 Best” Award

USA Today readers recently voted the Polynesian Cultural Center as the number-one “best Hawaii attraction”

PCC selected from a list of 10 Hawaii attractions

The readers selected the Center the #1 from a list of 10 top attractions in the Aloha State that had been pre-nominated by a blue-ribbon panel of travel industry and media representatives.

The Hawaii attractions nominated, and their order of finish in the recent survey included:

• 1st – The Polynesian Cultural Center
• 2nd – Pearl Harbor Historic sites
• 3rd – Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden (near Hilo on the Big Island)
• 4th – ‘Iolani Palace.
• 5th – Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• 6th – Haleakala National Park
• 7th – Napali Coast (Kauai)
• 8th – Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
• 9th – Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
• 10th – The scenic road to Hana, Maui

Photo courtesty of Mark A. Philbrick

PCC thrilled to win

“We’re thrilled to have won this award,” said PCC Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President Eric Workman, “especially from among a great field of other Hawaii attractions and things to do.”

“We are also honored that the panel of experts selected the Center to be on their list of amazing places and activities in Hawaii.”

Of course, Workman pointed out that “there’s nothing else like the Polynesian Cultural Center’s combination of six recreated island villages where you can learn from the islanders about their cultures and enjoy terrific entertainment. Other attractions from around the world have come here to study the PCC and would like to replicate their own versions back home.”

“We also offer our number-one Ali’i Luau and our incomparable evening show, Ha: Breath of Life — the grand finale of the day. All of these are part of a powerful package that gives our guests a tremendous experience and value.”

A big mahalo (thank you)

“To the USA Today readers who voted us number-one, I want to say mahalo,” Workman continued. “We have worked hard to earn your trust, and will continue to work hard. We are deeply committed to making the Polynesian Cultural Center an unforgettable experience for the millions of visitors who come here.” (Almost 40 million people have visited the Center since we opened in October 1963.)

“The ongoing satisfaction of our guests allows the Center to continue our goal of bringing students from the Pacific and Asia. Your patronage helps pay for their university education at Brigham Young University–Hawaii next door. At the same time, many of them learn more about their Polynesian heritage here at the Center. They also gain valuable on-the-job experience and leadership skills.”

The aloha spirit is real at the PCC

“As we begin our 55th year of service at the PCC, the aloha spirit we share with our guests is real,” Workman said. “We offer something very unique here. We invite you to come and experience it for yourself; or if you’ve visited us before, come ‘home’ again.”

USA Today, a Gannett Co., Inc. publication, is one of the largest newspapers in the country. It has a daily readership of approximately 3.3 million. In June USATODAY.com also tallied almost 87.6 million unique visitors and 733 million page views for the month.

PCC also receives “Travel Weekly” Award

The Polynesian Cultural Center also recently received Travel Weekly magazine’s 2017 Magellan Silver award in the United States and Canada Overall Destinations-Cultural Arts category.

Travel Weekly magazine, which has been published for more than 50 years, provides news, analysis and research to over 112,000 travel industry professionals. According to the publication’s web site, TW designed its Magellan Awards to reflect “the most exciting and innovative work being done in the travel industry today.”

The publication’s web site averages almost 413,000 monthly unique visitors and 1.3 million monthly page views.

Story by Mike Foley, who has been a full-time freelance writer and digital media specialist since 2002. Prior to that he had a long career in marketing communications, PR, journalism and university education. Foley learned to speak fluent Samoan as a Mormon missionary before moving to Laie in 1967 — and still does. He has traveled extensively over the years throughout Polynesia, other Pacific islands and Asia. Foley is mostly retired now, but continues to contribute to PCC and various other media.