Renovations are nearly complete at the Pearl Harbor World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Come December 7th 2010,  guests will be able to explore this historic location from the comfort of a newly renovated state-of-the-art visitor’s center. Designed to allow for more historically comprehensive galleries and exhibits, the recent upgrades greatly add to the already memorable experience of visiting Pearl Harbor. If you have been to Pearl Harbor in the past, now might be a good time to think about visiting again, as lots of great improvements are soon to be up and running.

In an effort to create space for the expanding galleries and exhibits, the center itself has expanded some six acres. Along with that, the actual square footage of the complex is nearly doubling. This added space will soon be home to open air and enclosed exhibits, adding even more to Pearl Harbor’s already long list of attractions. To keep up with the improvements happening outside, the Pacific Aviation Museum is adding additional multimedia exhibits and galleries, interpretive displays, presentation areas, two digital movie theatres, and a slew of improved visitor amenities.

Remember Pearl Harbor

One goal of these renovations is to make learning about Pearl Harbor a more tactile or hands-on experience. This will be accomplished by combining audio, video, and historic artifacts into an immersive experience that will bring guests closer to reliving the events than ever before. The sheer number of historic artifacts that will be displayed will likely expand significantly. Thanks to new climate controlled display cases, guests will be able to view never before displayed historical artifacts.

The potential educational possibilities that come with having  a complex like this are not going to be ignored. Included in the renovations is an expanded Educational and Research Center. This promises to create unique opportunities for sharing the history of Pearl Harbor with both guests and students from around the world. Pearl Harbor has labeled this their “Witness to History” distance learning program and has high hopes for its use as a valuable educational tool the world over.

On top of expanding the educational capabilities of Pearl Harbor, this upgrade will also improve the environmental impact of the center. Thanks to its mostly open air design, and the use of environmentally friendly materials, the new Pearl Harbor Visitors Center has the distinction of being awarded a Silver LEED Green Building System Certification from the United States Green Building Counsel.

Artists rendition of the soon to be complete Pearl Harbor Visitors Center renovations.

Come December 7^th, the Pearl Harbor World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument will be a proud example of our countries conscience desire to maintain our nation’s historic national treasures. The memories of the over two thousand lives lost on this faithful and world changing day have not faded in the nearly three quarters of a century since the attacks; as evidenced by the more than fifty million dollars being used to ensure that the facility shines going into the future. Join Discover Hawaii Tours next month as we proudly begin to introduce our valued guests to the new Pearl Harbor experience.

Read more: Renovated Pearl Harbor Visitors Center Nears Grand Opening

Hawaii has seen an increase in the number of Tourists looking to avoid swine flu at other popular destinations such as Mexico.

With no reported swine flu cases in Hawaii, the Islands are looking better and better as a tourist destination – especially when compared to Mexico.Hotels, airlines, and travel agents have seen cancellations in trips to Mexico, and increased bookings to Hawaii.

The state of Hawaii has taken a proactive approach to dealing with swine flu, with experience from the SARS outbreak a few years ago.Honolulu International Airport is actually way ahead of other international airports in terms of surveillance; Hawaii is the only state that has surveillance and diagnostic capacity at all airports.

Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard, is encouraging state officials to take swine flu prevention a step further and put on “a full-court press” at its airports to make sure swine flu does not enter the Islands.

He wants state officials to:

·Take the temperatures of incoming passengers

·Screen passengers from Mexico

·Ask passengers to fill out a questionnaire in flight, detailing whether they have any flu symptoms and where they recently traveled

·Distribute information to hotel guests, including a hot line number to call if they develop flu symptoms

In addition to Senator Gabbards requests, Governor Linda Lingle has urged residents to “remain calm but vigilant” when it comes to swine flu.

State transportation director Brennon Morioka said, “We are doing everything that we have planned for. … We believe that we are ready to address any form of condition or situation that might arise.”

Overall, the State of Hawaii is doing everything in its power to prevent any cases of swine flu from arriving on the islands.Thus far, we believe the state’s plan is working, as there have been no reported cases.

The state Health Department unveiled a new swine flu information line for callers to get up-to-date information, if you would like call (866)767-5044.

Read more: Hawaii sees increase in Tourists avoiding swine flu