History

History

The Kintetsu company was founded in 1910 as part of Nara Tramway Co., Ltd. Renamed to Osaka Electric Railway, the company grew to incorporate the transportation and tourism industries.

Kinki Kotsu Company established in 1947 and Nippon Tourist Company founded in 1948 merged into Kinki Nippon Tourist, Co. Ltd. (KNT) in 1955. Today, Kinki Nippon Tourist is one of the top full-service travel agencies in the world, with over 200 branch offices worldwide.

Our history began in 1966 when Kintetsu opened an office in Hawai`i. Then in 1967, we started air freight services and later travel services to Hawai`i. We have been a pioneer and leader throughout our history in the islands. We continue to look forward to serving our customers with Aloha.

Kintetsu, a company you can trust with all your travel needs.

Sep 1955
Osaka, Japan
Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd.

Founded

Sep 1966
Honolulu, Hawaii
KNT Honolulu Overseas Office

Opened

Apr 1967
Honolulu, Hawaii
Operations of Honolulu Office

Commencement of services and operations

May 1969
San Francisco, California
Kintetsu World Express (U.S.A.), Inc.

Established

Jan 1970
Japan - Hawaii
Inaugural Boeing 747 Service from Japan

First Jumbo Jet Group Tour

Feb 1972
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kintetsu World Express (Hawaii), Inc.

Established

Feb 1974
San Francisco, California
Kintetsu International Express (U.S.A.), Inc.

Established

Mar 1974
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kintetsu International Express (Hawaii), Inc.

Kintetsu World Express (Hawaii), Inc. changed its name to Kintetsu International Express (Hawaii), Inc.

Sep 1975
New York, New York
Merger of USA and Hawaii Companies

Kintetsu International Express (U.S.A.), Inc. and Kintetsu International Express (Hawaii), Inc. merge to form new corporation headquartered in New York

Aug 1980
Honolulu, Hawaii
Inaugural Matsuri in Hawaii Event

Kinki Nippon Tourist 25th Anniversary Event
1st “Matsuri in Hawaii” Held

Jul 1984
Honolulu, Hawaii
Matsuri in Hawaii becomes an official event

Recognized by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau as an official event.

May 2007
Honolulu, Hawaii
Official Sponsor of the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Became official sponsor of the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Feb 2009
Honolulu, Hawaii
Holiday Aloha .com

Launched website specializing in optional tour sales

Oct 2010
Honolulu, Hawaii
Outbound Travel Section

Established for travel arrangement services to Japan.

Jun 2019
Honolulu, Hawaii
40th Anniversary of Pan Pacific Festival

Pan Pacific Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary

Nov 2020
Honolulu, HI
kintetsu-hawaii.com

Launched redesigned kintetsu-hawaii.com corporate website

Our History in the Local Community

Our commitment runs deep within the local community with the Pan-Pacific Festival and the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.

Matsuri in Hawai`i and the Pan-Pacific Festival

In 1980, the very first Matsuri in Hawai`i was held. The festival enriches the lives of participating artists and audiences through a rewarding and participatory exposure to traditional Japanese culture.

From 1996, Matsuri in Hawai`i became known as the Pan-Pacific Festival to broaden its capacity to include other traditions and people. The Pan-Pacific Festival strives to create a more global community through the sharing and celebration of cultures. The 2023 event will mark its 41st in Hawai`i.

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Since 2007, Kintetsu has been an official sponsor and proud supporter of the event. The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards is modeled after the Grammy Awards which honors the achievements of excellence in the recording arts here in Hawai`i.

The Hawai`i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards trace their origins to 1978 and KCCN-AM Radio

HARA’s mission is to preserve, protect, promote, foster, and advance Hawai`i’s recording industry and the music of Hawai`i.

Affiliations​

We are part of these great community organizations in Hawaii

Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Heather Goodman / @hbgoodie

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