With the tourism industry in a nosedive and the behemoth "Waikiki nei" shutting down at the Royal Hawaiian Center, the Waikiki showroom landscape is banking on tried-and-true Polynesian productions to woo the eroding tourist market.

And it seems to be drumming up visitor support in some quarters.

"I believe in strictly Polynesian shows — that's what people come from all over to see," said Kalolaine Mataele Soukop, 71, known in the Waikiki entertainment mainstream as Kalo, whose "Kalo's South Seas Revue" is riding the rough waters with two to four shows a week at the 400-seat Hawaiian Hut of the Ala Moana Hotel.

"We shut down for three weeks, because of the economy," said Gordon Yoshida, showroom manager. But an optimistic new investor — Gachi Enterprises — sees potential growth and is willing to ride out the economic slide by reopening.

"I've been doing shows for 38 years and I'm an old lady, and some people think I'm old-fashioned. too. But I believe in the basics; I was born in Polynesian culture and I believe in that and I will live and continue to preach that; that's why I've lasted so long," said Kalo.

The show draws mostly Japanese visitors. Its new investors, which include Korean nationals, think the recent easing of visa restrictions on visitors from South Korea will eventually sharply boost the attendance of South Koreans at the Kalo show.

The South Korean market is one of the few bright spots in a visitor industry that is mired in its worst slump since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Visitor arrivals have fallen for seven consecutive months, including double-digit declines in each of the last five months. The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism is projecting that visitor arrivals will fall 10.1 percent this year, with spending falling by 9.5 percent.

Tihati Productions, with its 39-year run of Polynesian revues in Waikiki, also is holding up in the tight economy. Tihati's "Creation: A Polynesian Journey," staged nightly except Mondays and Wednesdays at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel's 400-seat Ainahau Showroom, has been doing mostly capacity business through the rocky few months this fall.

HILTON LU'AU EXPANDING

And the Hilton Lu'au on the Lagoon, produced by Tihati and staged Sundays and Wednesdays outdoors just a stone's throw from the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, has become a player to watch. The show, attracting 300-plus, anticipates a bold, even risky expansion in mid-January despite the soft economy, moving from the scenic oceanside location to the rooftop of the Hilton parking garage, where a high-rise, under-the-stars showroom space is being created for a Jan. 15 opening, according to a hotel executive.

"There are plans to move the show from the ocean to the 'mountain,' " said Cha Thompson, a Tihati founder and Waikiki veteran. The new site is getting a makeover by Honolulu architectural firm Wimberley Allison Tong and Goo, with mountain vistas painted on the walls and decorative green foliage.

Tihati also expects to relaunch its once-a-week on-the-beach lu'au revue at The Royal Hawaiian hotel when the renovated Pink Palace reopens early next year. But it has suffered some rough seas, too; its four-nights-a-week lu'au show at Sea Life Park in Waimanalo shut down Oct. 28 because of low visitor traffic.

Tihati's late-night impersonator show, "Stars in Concert Hawai'i," which followed "Creation" at the Princess Kaiulani showroom, also was dismantled in September because of the tight economy.

Also shut down this fall: Danny Couch's Wednesday-only shows at the Ainahau Showroom.

Roy Tokujo, who operates the $22 million showroom and ultralounge where his high-tech production, "Waikiki nei," was shuttered Oct. 3, has scrapped plans to reopen that attraction for the holiday season as earlier announced. Instead, he's making the fourth level showspace available for short-term local bookings.

Among the first will be "A Hula Christmas — Na Leo's Holiday Music Spectacular," with Na Leo Pilimehana, Keali'i Reichel, Hoku Zuttermeister, Kaumakaiwa Keali'i Kanakaole and Kaukahi. The show will embrace an entourage of 100 hula dancers, in performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 15, 16, 19 and 21.

Said Nalani Choy, a Na Leo member: "This couldn't have happened at a better time; we wanted to do a huge hula Christmas show and now I cannot imagine not doing it there. ... For local performers to have that stage ... just like Las Vegas ... it's incredible."

RISING TO VEGAS LEVEL

Several halau are providing dancers, under the tutelage of Iwalani Tseu and Na Leo's Angela Morales, and there will be solo, group and en masse numbers with the dancers, said Choy.

This local profile for the showroom fits Tokujo's vision, "to elevate local entertainment to a level comparable to showrooms in Las Vegas and theaters on Broadway," he said.

"We're still struggling, trying to get a handle on what works in this depressed economy, and seeking the right product to fit the buying public," said Tokujo. "The problem is no one knows how deep or how long the recession will be, but every indication is that it is deep and long. In these challenging times, there is opportunity for everyone."

Meanwhile, other Waikiki players are bracing for a rough 2009.

"It's worse than after 9/11," said Taua Uso, vice president of sales for the Outrigger Hotels, about the decline in showroom headcounts. Uso markets the Society of Seven Las Vegas show at the Outrigger Waikiki, where peak-season sellouts were common over the past four decades. Despite the drop, however, Society of Seven continues to perform Tuesdays through Saturdays.

"Magic of Polynesia," the John Hirokawa magic show at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber hotel, continues to maintain its market share for the 700-seat showroom despite the challenges of a slowdown, according to Roberts Hawaii, the show's parent company and a 67-year veteran in Island tourism. "'Magic of Polynesia' will be revamping portions of its show in early 2009, bringing in new features and illusions," said a spokesman.

Cirque Hawaii, with acrobats and artists in the Cirque du Soleil milieu, has had its share of dip in visitor count at the Cirque Theatre but has instituted late-night comedy shows in recent weeks to help generate revenues. A Cirque spokesman was not available for comment.

Producer Tokujo has scrapped plans to reopen "Waikiki nei" for the holiday season. But he still believes it has immense visitor appeal and hopes to revamp and relaunch a major show.

"Hawai'i is a very special place to visit, with its colorful history and rich culture, and we still think a show that connects with Hawai'i, to tell the world why this is such a special place, is vital for our Waikiki visitors," Tokujo said.

And yes, "there will be some traditional culture, like hula.," he said.