In this month’s e-bulletin, President & CEO John De Fries recaps the results of the Spring 2022 Resident Sentiment Survey, showing strong support for HTA’s efforts in destination management and visitor education; visitor statistics from July 2022 that showed, compared to pre-pandemic July 2019, 14% more visitor spending with 8% fewer visitors; and the amazing performance of the new Little League World Series Champions from Hawaiʻi, serving as ambassadors we can all be proud of.

Continuing its commitment to Mālama Ku‘u Home (“Caring for My Beloved Home”), the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority will present its 2022 Hawai‘i Tourism Conference at the Hawai‘i Convention Center this winter. The two-day event will be held on Thursday, December 8 and Friday, December 9. Stay tuned for more information in the months ahead.

Ho‘omaika‘i to two from our Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) ‘ohana for recently reaching milestone years of service with the State of Hawai‘i. Marc Togashi, HTA acting chief administrative officer and vice president, finance, celebrated 10 years of service. Minh-Chau Chun, tourism research manager with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), celebrated 20 years of service. Marc and Minh were recognized alongside their colleagues during DBEDT’s Service Awards Ceremony on July 19. Their continued contributions and tenure are a testimony of their hard work and dedication to the people of Hawai‘i. Please join us in congratulating Marc and Minh!

In July, Kaua‘i muralist Seth Womble put the finishing touches on his 1,300-square-foot endangered wildlife mural, located alongside Kaumuali‘i Highway in ‘Ele‘ele. His vision for the mural is educating the public about endangered Hawai‘i birds such as the ‘a‘o (Newell’s shearwater), ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt), and koloa Maoli (Hawaiian duck), and communicating the importance of being good stewards of the land and its wildlife. Seth’s work was recently featured in Kaua‘i’s The Garden Island newspaper. HTA is proud to support this project through the Garden Island Arts Council and its own Aloha ‘Āina program to reinvest funding back into the community.

The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i’s Aloha ‘Āina, Mauka to Makai program focuses on the makai areas of Mānele and Hulopo‘e on Lāna‘i and Maui’s Honolua Bay, as well as mauka at Waikamoi Preserve, heart of the largest inactive native rainforest in the state and sanctuary for hundreds of native Hawaiian plants and animals. The program’s activities include data collection informing policy and sustainable tourism, educational programming about native forest and ocean ecosystems, and volunteer and outreach programs, including docent training, service trips, monthly hikes and presentations. Learn more here.

In early August, staff from HTA and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF) visited Maui to engage with Aloha ʻĀina awardee Hawaiʻi Land Trust (HILT) and the important work it continues to do on the ground. The group visited Waiheʻe Refuge, which was once populated by two thriving coastal villages, an extensive loko iʻa kalo, and several heiau. HILT is continuing restoration of the Waiheʻe and providing extended opportunities for kānaka, kamaʻāina and malihini to see, learn and grow with this wahi kupuna.

“To me, it is another great example of the ingenuity of our kūpuna — a modern-day aquaponics system established over 1,500 years ago,” said HCF Program Officer Kehau Meyers, who helps manage HTA’s Kūkulu Ola and Aloha ʻĀina programs. “When we make investments in protecting, restoring and researching the cultural and ecological foundations of Hawaiʻi, we are gifted with so many solutions to modern-day issues in return, including the ensuing problems of climate change.”

HTA Brand Manager Maka Casson-Fisher, who also helps oversee HTA’s Kūkulu Ola and Aloha ʻĀina programs, shared his experience at Waihe‘e as a kamaʻāina of Hawaiʻi who is still a malihini to this ʻāina.

“I’m not from Maui, but after meeting with the folks who hosted us, I became more familiar with the ʻāina and community, which reminded me of the ʻōlelo noʻeau, ‘Hoʻokahi lā o ka malihini a lilo i hoa kamaʻāina.’”

This ʻōlelo noʻeau suggests that visitors become contributing members of the local community after a day of being welcomed, and that they, too, have responsibilities to uphold. For Maka, that kuleana is in the work he does at HTA.

Other Aloha ʻĀina program partner visits by the group included nonprofit Hui Aloha Kīholo on Hawaiʻi Island in June. The Aloha ʻĀina program’s award here supports Hui Aloha Kīholo’s project, Mōhala i ka Wai: Empowering Our Community to Support a Thriving Kīholo to Increase the Ability to Connect with Visitors of the Kīholo State Park Reserve. It also strives to improve the health of the area’s natural resources.

The Kohala Center’s (TKC) Aloha ʻĀina Kahaluʻu was another Aloha ʻĀina program recently visited by HTA and HCF staff. An independent community-based center for research, conservation and education, TKC is providing increased visitor education allowing for pono (balanced, respectful) access and exposure to Kahalu‘u bay and ʻāina before visitors arrive there. TKC and the Kahaluʻu community were recently recognized by international nonprofit Mission Blue, which identified Kahalu‘u Bay as one of its Hope Spots — places scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean — and Cindi Punihaole, director of TKC’s Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center, as a Hope Spot Champion.

The Kohala Center also welcomed HTA and HCF staff to Niuliʻi, a traditional community gathering place known for its ancient ulu hala (pandanus groves), coastal native forest and shoreline marine resources. The group was guided around the hala groves and heard moʻolelo on the many uses of lauhala, the stages of its growth, and the reciprocal relationship between the ʻāina, stewards and learners of the wahi pana.

Laʻiʻōpua is an Aloha ʻĀina awardee offering “Ola ka Lāhui” (“The Nation Lives On”) events. Here, HTA and HCF staff experienced cultural workshops available to kamaʻāina and malihini, including hilo and kui lei (braiding and stringing lei), ulana lauhala (lauhala weaving), kuʻi ʻai (pounding taro) and kūkākūkā (talk story) about the wa‘a Laʻiʻōpua.

HTA and the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau (KVB) convened two community meetings on Kaua‘i to share continuing efforts aimed at resetting and managing tourism. More than 130 residents in total attended the public meetings held in Līhu‘e and on Kaua‘i’s north shore on August 16 and 17, respectively. At the meetings, HTA and KVB staff also shared updates on progress fulfilling actions called for by the community in its Kaua‘i Destination Management Action Plan. For more information, read the Spring 2022 Progress Report.

In addition, the Spring 2022 Progress Reports for Hawai‘i Island, Maui, Lāna‘i and O‘ahu are available at www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/what-we-do/hta-programs/destination-management-action-plans/.

The Queen Lili‘uokalani Canoe Race (Queen’s Canoe Club Kai ‘Opua) (QLCR) will return to Kalaoa, Hawai‘i, from September 1 through 5, after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Held annually since 1971, QLCR is Hawai‘i’s largest long-distance canoe race and has also qualified as the world's largest canoe race. Its women’s and men’s 18-mile races follow a historically and culturally significant course running between Kamakahonu Beach in Kailua-Kona Bay and Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. Race events also include double-hull canoe and stand-up paddle board competitions, a walking tour of Historic Kailua Village, an International Paddlers Night, Paddling Talk Story sessions, and a Torchlight Parade. Learn more at www.qlcanoerace.com/.

Hawai‘i Tourism USA