Note: Information lifted from Ryan Ozawa's blog called "The Bloggers Are Coming!"

A group of bloggers and vloggers will be touring Hawaii this week as part of a “social media tour,” as local visitor industry officials reach beyond the mainstream to spread the word about Hawaii travel. It’s been dubbed the “So Much More Hawaii” tour, and it will include visits to Oahu (May 27 & June 3-4), Kauai (May 28-29), Maui (May 30-31), and the Big Island (June 1-2, Kona-side only).

The tour is being coordinated by David Uchiyama, Vice President of Tourism Marketing for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, with help from the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau. They’ve turned to Cilantro Media to organize the blogger team. The bloggers are:
Rick Calvert (@blogworld) from Las Vegas, Nevada, founder of Blog World Expo.
Leah Lamb (@leahlamb) from San Francisco, California, a writer and producer at Current.
Shira Lazar (@shiralazar) from Los Angeles, California, a self-described “media empress” with a long resume in lifestyle and travel shows.
Aric S. Queen (@aricsqueen), a globetrotting new media producer with a focus on China.
Sheila Scarborough (@SheilaS) from Austin, Texas, a travel writer with a taste for NHRA drag racing and social media.
Mark Tafoya (@ChefMark) from New York City, a personal chef who creates food and travel videos for the Culinary Media Network.
Jim Turner (@Genuine) from Firestone, Colorado, a “social media renaissance man” and Social Media Director of Blog World Expo.

Also counted among the bloggers is the fabulous “Neenz” Faleafine (@Neenz), serving as one of many local hosts and organizers.

Coordinator Christine Lu (@ChristineLu) is also in town, simultaneously organizing other social media events like Geeks on a Plane, which is a tour of East Asia (including Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai). Here she is pictured with Melanie Kosaka of www.Shareyourtable.com.

This is exciting not just because of additional exposure of Hawaii to the world, but because I am taking Mark Tafoya around to tour Oahu. He arrived tonight and leaves tomorrow for Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. When he returns on June 2, I'll blog & Twitter as we go along, so be sure to watch my Twitter feed!

Make sure you get to know Mark by checking out his regular blog, www.remarkablepalate.com, and his video log, www.culinarymedianetwork.com.

We had a nice welcome reception at Rumfire in the Sheraton Waikiki for all the bloggers. Here, from left, are Mark, me, Rebecca, and Tommy.

Makana was our entertainment for the evening. After his stage performance, he came by the group and did a kanikapila-style performance of a Portuguese love song that Sonny Chillingworth had taught him.

If you are following us on Twitter, the official “hashtag” (or tracking keyword) is #hawaiihta. So in addition to visiting their individual blogs, you’ll be able to follow many of them in near realtime as they post to Twitter during the tour.

Tags: bloggers, Christine Lu, HTA, Mark Tafoya, Melanie Kosaka, Neenz Faleafine, Rebecca Pang, So much more hawaii

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