Polynesian Adventure Tours, Inc. (co-branded as Gray Line Hawaii, also known as PolyAd) is a

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

and transportation company in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. PolyAd was founded in 1977 by Bob George and his partner Don Brown who started the company as an operator of van sightseeing tours in Waikiki. PolyAd specializes in personalized tours that utilize drivers as narrators and guides. In 2017 PolyAd was acquired by California-based Transportation Charter Services (TCS). Polynesian Adventure Tours maintains offices on

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

, The Big Island and provides tours to Hawaiian landmarks. Polynesian Adventure Tours is also the parent company of the Luau Kalamaku, a theatrical hula show and dinner experience held at Kilohana Plantation in

Lihue Lihue or Līhue is an unincorporated community, census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. Lihue (pronounced ) is the second largest town on the Hawaiian island of Kauai after Kapaa. As of the 2010 ...

History

Polynesian Adventure Tours was founded in 1977 by Bob George and Don Brown, with a small fleet of vans. The founders sold the company in 1986, to Atak Management Corporation, owned by Japanese-American businessman, Shig Katayama. Don Brown left the company and Bob George remained as Director of Sales. The company's fleet was expanded with the addition of motorcoaches and minibuses on

, and bases operating sightseeing vans on the islands of

and

. In August 1996, the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii approved the sale of Gray Line Hawaii, Ltd.'s PUC-issued authority "to provide services as a common carrier by motor vehicle in the over-twenty-five passenger classifications on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai" to Polynesian Adventure Tours, Inc. This allowed Polyad to further expand its motorcoach and minibus fleet to the islands outside of

. In October 2017, Poly Ad was acquired by Orange County, California based Transportation Charter Services (TCS) from

Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the List of cruise lines, fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, ...

. Shortly thereafter, the company began a comprehensive fleet modernization program, including the acquisition of new, luxury mini-coaches for use in a new category of premium tours

Awards

Polynesian Adventure Tours – Gray Line Hawaii has been recognized as

Metro Magazine ''Metro Magazine'' is a trade magazine for bus and rail transit and motorcoach operators, published in the United States since 1904, taking its current name in 1975.Di Giacomo, Frank. "100 years of deadlines". ''Metro Magazine'', July 2004, p. 4. ...

's 10 Innovative Motorcoach Operators in 2006Metro Magazine January 2006
/ref> and is consistently in the Top 50 Motorcoach Operators list.Metro Magazine January 2009
/ref> The company was also the recipient of

Gray Line Worldwide Gray Line Worldwide is an international sightseeing company which claims to be the largest of its kind in the world. The company was founded in 1910 and operates worldwide through independent operators it calls "licensees" with a presence in most o ...

's Market Development Award in 2008.

References

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External links

Polynesian Adventure Tours Official WebsiteLuau Kalamaku Official Website
Tourism in Hawaii Bus transportation in Hawaii Transport companies established in 1977 Travel and holiday companies of the United States Companies based in Honolulu Norwegian Cruise Line 1977 establishments in Hawaii