Hawaii has an activity, a tour, and an experience for everyone, from any corner of the U.S. or the world, culture, experience as a traveler, concern for price and safety, desire for adventure and thrills. Even after living and working in Hawaii for more than 45 years, we’re continuously impressed, often awed, by the countless ways that Hawaii offers visitors to build spontaneous adventures and avoid packaged tours. Understandably it’s difficult for non-Hawaiians to grasp the diversity of experiences offered by each island. Changing both comprehension and perceptions of Hawaii, even for travel professionals, is one of the main reasons that Tom Barefoot’s Tours publishes articles and “Info Bites” weekly. We aim to capture the attention of mobile-based people, many of whom lead hectic lives, and need to speed up their vacation research without compromising quality. Hence, two special and quite unique features are part of Tom Barefoot’s Tours website: select any location on any island and see all of the activities and tours in or near it; and Activity Match ℠ to completely personalize vacation options and experiences.
Filling the Hawaii Comprehension Gap
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A few decades ago a small group of activists in Hawaii decided that it was time to revive the Hawaiian language, for Hawaiians to relearn their native language and Hawaiian to be included in traditional schools. They wanted to start Hawaiian language instruction with preschoolers and create an entirely new generation of Hawaiian language speakers. In the mid-1980s this ambitious goal was endorsed by Hawaii’s Department of Education that allowed them to create Hawaiian language “immersion schools,” but without any state support. A handful of families created Pūnana Leo which means “nest of voices.”