NEW RETAIL STORE BRINGS PCC TO THE WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT RESORT AND SPA

Honolulu, HI - January 5, 2004 - The Polynesian Cultural Center has expanded to Waikiki with the opening of its new store Polynesian Cultural Center Treasures at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.

Located next to the Marriott's Kuhio Beach Grill, the store features souvenir videos, DVDs, calendars, t-shirts, books and Polynesian handicraft items such as shark tooth clubs and Koa wood bowls. But that's not all. Every Monday through Saturday, dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center perform and teach hula to interested guests and visitors from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

"We are pleased to partner with the Waikiki Beach Marriott Beach Resort and Spa to extend the visitor experience beyond our boundaries here in Laie," said Alfred Grace, vice president of sales and marketing for the PCC. "This is another example of how we are working to innovate new experiences and opportunities to share the cultures of Polynesia with our island visitors."

Visitors who have purchased PCC tickets by calling the reservations hotline or from other locations can pick up their tickets from the store. Tickets cannot be purchased at the store.

"It's a way of introducing the PCC to visitors and showing them a bit of what they can do. We now have a place on the other side of the island for people to go and buy the PCC items they forgot to buy or didn't have enough time to buy when they were here," said Sunshine Barrett, PCC's retail sales manager.

The PCC Treasures store is located at 2552 Kalakaua Avenue next to the Marriott's Kuhio Beach Grill and is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For more information about the store, or to make reservations, please call 1-800-367-7060 or in Hawaii call 293-3333.

Founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization, the PCC has entertained more than 30 million visitors by preserving and portraying the spirit, culture and people of Polynesia to the rest of the world. More important is the mission of the PCC, which supports the educational mission of Brigham Young University-Hawaii and provides an extension of the classroom in a workplace setting. Since its establishment, the PCC has employed more than 12,000 BYU-Hawaii students. As a non-profit organization, 100 percent of the PCC’s revenue is used for daily operations and to support the students who earn their tuition, room and board, and books. The PCC also provides significant financial support to elementary and secondary schools and to college students attending institutions of their choice besides BYU-Hawaii.