President Barack Obama gave many people in the Hawaii tourism sector — as well as businesses in general — a renewed sense of optimism yesterday with the signing of an executive order to boost the visitor industry through a number of initiatives.

But the one companies were awaiting most anxiously was the pilot program and rule change for visa processing in China and Brazil. The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security will be charged with increasing by 40 percent non-immigrant visa processing capacity in these countries this year. The rule change will, among other things, allow people with expired visas to renew without lengthy review processes, and that will encourage repeat visits.

It’s really the visitors from China that Hawaii has positioned itself to attract, due to the islands’ leading-edge position in the Pacific and to the cultural synergies the state creates with Asian nations.

But officials must not assume Hawaii has a lock on this burgeoning visitor market. The state’s lead agency, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, as well as industry groups such as the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association and the properties they support, must redouble their efforts to make the visitor experience a good one for Chinese tourists. If the rule change makes it easier for visitors to return, that first impression is all-important.

Fortunately, the HTA has anticipated this for several years. In 2004, a marketing contractor was secured with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. That contractor, Aviareps Marketing Garden, was signed for another two-year term in 2011. This has helped familiarize China’s tour agencies with what Hawaii had to offer.

Former mayor Mufi Hannemann, who now heads the tourism and lodging association, said Sheraton Hawaii is among the hotels that have been proactive, too, by hiring more Chinese-speaking staffers as well as bringing on a consultant and interns to make sure services align with the Chinese preferences.

HTA data show that China’s visitors are among the highest spending in the local tourism market, and it’s been increasing. The 2009 per-person spending average was $285.60 a day; in 2010 that number rose to $350.30, an average already exceeded by 2011 visitors even before the final figures came in.

This suggests that retailers need to be on their toes to make sure they’ve got what these shoppers want, front and center, and learn how best to sell it to them.

"China is an emerging market for Hawaii’s tourism industry with unprecedented growth potential," said HTA President Mike McCartney in a statement. "Arrivals are expected to reach 125,394 in 2012, up 28 percent over 2011, with Chinese visitors spending $380 per person per day, higher than any other market. The president’s initiatives to increase the number of Chinese visas processed and ensuring that visa applicants are interviewed within three weeks are huge milestones for Chinese tourism to the U.S. and Hawaii."

Hannemann added that this pairs nicely with the Discover America travel promotion program, the first time the U.S. has made a national pitch as a tourism destination. Hawaii has some experience, especially in marketing to Japan, it can share.

"We’re in a position where we can teach the rest of the United States a thing or two," he said.

Without a doubt, this latest effort by the Obama administration has the potential to give a needed boost to the Hawaii economy, and to that of other states that sorely need a shot in the arm.