The return of the American Association of Orthodontists, which brings 14,500 delegates to Hawaii this week, shows that demand from business travelers is strengthening and bodes well for the future of this lucrative tourism market in the isles.

The orthodontist convention, the largest the state has hosted this year, kicks off a round of three medical meetings, including the American Pain Society later this month and the American Medical Association in November.

The orthodontist gathering is the biggest news in Hawaii’s meetings market since the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit came in November, said Joe Davis, SMG general manager of the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

"The success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting last November helped put Hawaii on the global stage, and we expect bookings to strengthen along with the economy as well as a greater investment again into business travel," Davis said.

The orthodontists’ 2012 annual meeting, which began Friday and runs through Tuesday, is expected to generate 116,600 hotel room nights (number of rooms occupied times the number of nights) and pump $68 million in revenue into the state’s economy. Post-conference educational meetings held on Oahu, Maui and Kauai and delegates making pre- and post-leisure trips are forecast to spread the visitor industry boost statewide.

The timing of the event coincides with a major push from members of Hawaii’s visitor industry to improve the state’s positioning as a business destination.

"The HTA, together with our marketing partners, remain committed to promoting the Hawaiian Islands beyond a leisure destination, and as an ideal place to conduct business," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

John Limper, area director of sales and marketing for Marriott International in Hawaii, who was in Washington, D.C., for a marketing blitz, said the goal is to bring more business like the orthodontists convention to the state.

"The Waikiki Marriott is holding a block of rooms for the orthodontists," he said. "We are excited to have them come in because they have a tremendous impact on Waikiki, Oahu and the rest of the state."

"When they leave in a week, we’ll have potentially 14,500 people who will go back to their homes and become salespeople for Hawaii," Limper said.

From a marketing perspective, the timing of orthodontists convention couldn’t be better for the isles. The event comes as the outlook is improving for Hawaii’s meetings and incentives market, which saw its 2011 results improve 11 percent over the prior year.

"We are starting to see an uptick in group leads compared to last year and the previous years," Limper said.

"Our economy is getting stronger, and when it’s good, businesses conduct more travel and hold more meetings."

While the orthodontists actually drew a larger crowd for its first meeting in Hawaii nine years ago, the economic impact of this year’s event has nearly doubled from the $35 million achieved in 2003, said Dr. Michael Rogers, AAO president.

"Our attendance is down slightly from 2003, but we are on budget and we are very pleased with that," Rogers said. "I’m sure that we’ll discuss coming back sometime in the future."

In addition, this year’s event has a greater percentage of international delegates than the orthodontists’ 2003 meeting, Rogers said.

"Over 800 international members are here, and 450 of them came from the Asia Pacific," he said.

More than 65 countries are represented at the event, where international attendance is expected to top last year’s annual conference in Chicago.

Andrea Molina, an orthodontist from Quito, Ecuador, said she alone is representing her country at the meeting.

"Hawaii is very popular," Molina said, "but it’s very far and quite expensive. It’s difficult for my colleagues to get here."

The chance to learn about new products and treatments at the event as well as see her husband, Miguel Sala­zar, who is stationed at Pearl Harbor, made the trip worthwhile, she said.

"Everything that we buy is American based, so it’s critical to come here to get information," Molina said. "Also, patients abroad tend to look at a doctor’s continuing education and take that into consideration when choosing between one doctor and another."

While fewer domestic attendees came to this year’s conference than they did last year when it was in Chicago, those that came made the decision early and typically brought more people with them, Rogers said.

"People have probably been planning this trip for years," he said, adding that this meeting has been on the books since the decision was made to come back after the 2003 event.

Rogers, who has a practice in Augusta, Ga., brought 14 staff members along. In addition, he said that his son-in-law brought all four of his young children.

"This meeting is unique because of the number of family members," Rogers said. "You can’t hardly come to Hawaii without family."

Andrew Corbett, an orthodontist resident from Redlands, Calif., said his wife and two children arrived even before he got here.

"They came last Sunday, so they’ll spend five extra days in Hawaii," Corbett said. "We had vacationed on Maui before, but this is the first trip to Hawaii for our kids."

While the bulk of activity took place on Oahu, the neighbor islands also are expected to realize extensive economic benefits from post-conferences held on Wednesday and Thursday.

"We sold out our room block at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu, and our delegates went bonkers for the outer islands — we sold out at the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kauai and at the Sheraton Maui Resort and the Grand Wailea," Rogers said. "We could have probably sold a lot more rooms."

The success of events like AAO will help Hawaii sell more meetings, Limper said. Ease of access to the isles also could improve the outlook for business travel, he said.

In June, Hawaiian Airlines is adding a direct flight between New York City and Honolulu, and United is adding one between Washington, D.C., and Honolulu, Limper said.

"We already have a direct flight from Newark, so that brings the count to three from major East Coast markets," he said.

The HTA is projecting an increase of 700,000 air seats to the state this year. President Barack Obama’s January pledge to ease restrictions for international travelers, particularly from Asia, also will help tap into the global market, Limper said.