President Obama in Oahu Island with family before his inauguration

Oahu Island lost power during US President-elect Barrack Obama's visit there. President Obama and his family spent holidays there before his inauguration that took place on 20 January.

President Obama was accompanied by his seven-year-old daughter Malia and 10-year-old Sasha, as well as with friends when the blackout took place. Dozens of secret services men prevented the people from taking pictures of the new US president, while dining at a restaurant.

"The fact that this is the place he chooses to come to spend the holidays is a nice touch," says David Uchiyama, vice president of marketing for the state Tourism Authority. "Having him here and him keeping his ties to Hawaii certainly helps us. Hawaii gets the spotlight for a period here where a lot of the country is blanketed in snow."