Anti-smoking groups in Hawaii are up in arms about the message being sent out by Hawaii Tourism Japan, namely that it’s OK to smoke in Hawaii.

Hawaii banned smoking in enclosed public spaces last year, but Japanese news apparently reported a blanket ban. The tourism group explained that due to the mistaken belief among potential tourists from Japan that smoking is banned throughout Hawaii, many are being led to look elsewhere for their holidays, and booking numbers have dropped sharply.

So while Hawaii Tourism Japan “is giving away some 40,000 free ashtrays with a flower logo and the words ‘Keep Hawaii Clean’”, anti-smoking groups are branding the campaign “unfortunate”.

“This is not really sending a message that Hawaii is concerned about good health,” said Kathy Harty, interim president of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii.

The marketing campaign by Hawaii Tourism Japan has been called “Smoking with Aloha”.

Aloha is the main word of greeting in the Hawaiian language, but its use in this smoking context is somewhat unfortunate, as it directly translates as “breath of life”.