I recently reported that President Elect Barack Obama spent a little time over the Christmas break vacationing in his native Hawaii. Apparently Obama’s visit has come at an advantageous time according to many of the islands tourism officials.

The islands tourism industry has been feeling the pinch since the credit crunch gripped the country prompting many tourists to stay within the continental US. One article in the Star Bulliten had the following to say.

However Obama’s ties to Hawaii are measured, his impact on isle tourism - especially during one of the darkest times in Hawaii’s visitor industry - is worth more than peanuts to the state’s lead industry. The public relations power of the national media coverage of Obama body surfing at Sandy Beach, petting dolphins with his children at Sea Life Park and sharing a shave ice with his wife, Michelle, at the North Shore cannot be discounted, especially at a time with Hawaii’s visitor industry is working its way through its worst season since the Great Depression.

To read the complete article visit the Star Bulliten