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ʻIke aku, ʻike mai; kōkua aku, kōkua mai; pēlā ihola ka nohona ʻohana.
Recognize others, be recognized; help others, be helped; that is the family way.
Give Back December is a statewide visitor volunteer engagement campaign that brings together not just visitors, but residents, nonprofits, businesses and schools in a concerted effort to take grassroots volunteer action that serves our communities. We seek to grow visitor engagement opportunities this December by working with hundreds of local nonprofit organizations to host visitor-friendly volunteer events across the islands to support more authentic connections through service work. Most events held during Give Back December have an environmental stewardship focus and can range from park and beach cleanups to food drives to lo‘i and loko i‘a (taro patch and fishpond) restoration.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is supporting Give Back December through the 2023 Community Enrichment program, which fosters community-based experiences that engage residents and visitors alike. We are proud to uplift the important work that Kanu Hawai‘i is doing to connect visitors and residents with community-based service opportunities as we move toward a regenerative model of tourism.
Visit www.KanuHawaii.org or www.GiveBackDecember.org to participate in a volunteer opportunity or add one to the website.
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HTA Partners in Oʻahu Tourism Transportation Electrification Workshop
It’s estimated that, as of September, more than 27,000 light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) are traveling Hawai‘i’s roadways, putting the state on a positive track toward its ambitious ground transportation goals. Generating more than a third of Hawai‘i’s economy, our tourism industry has much kuleana in accelerating the state’s transition to more sustainable transportation sources.
Given the visitor industry’s stake, HTA Public Affairs Officer Ilihia Gionson was honored to serve as emcee for the O‘ahu Tourism Transportation Electrification Workshop at the Hawai‘i State Capitol on October 30. HTA Board Members Mufi Hannemann and Jimmy Tokioka also spoke on their perspectives.
HTA was one of several organizational partners of the workshop, which gathered policy makers and stakeholders from Hawai‘i’s energy, tourism and transportation sectors with a goal of connecting industries and raising awareness of the need for more reliable and accessible EV charging systems. The workshop was hosted Senator Chris Lee and the Electrification Coalition, a non-governmental organization accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles to reduce our dependence on oil for transportation.
One of the workshop’s most discussed topics was the dearth of publicly available EV charging stations in Hawai‘i, especially for visitors and tourism industry employees. Workshop attending hotel and resort representatives with on-property EV stations for their guests shared that a major challenge to adding more stations was the high cost making electrical improvements to their facilities and garages to install more chargers. Potential impacts to the state’s electrical grid due to increased implementation and use of EV charging stations was also discussed.
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Hawaiʻi Green Business Forums Encourage Sustainability and Positive Environmental Impacts
The Hawai‘i Green Business Forum hosted sessions on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and the island of Hawai‘i in October and November, offering island businesses valuable insights on how they could individually make positive impacts on our environment while benefitting from enhanced sustainability practices. The sessions on each island shared the benefits of sustainability encouraged through the State of Hawai‘i’s ongoing Hawai‘i Green Business Program, which offers businesses reduced energy consumption and utility costs, improved performance, public recognition and access to its resources.
Business owners and their staff attending the forums learned from sustainability pioneers and industry experts, witnessed the implementation of sustainable practices via on-site, in-person visits, and networked with like-minded individuals and businesses.
HTA is proud to support the Hawai‘i Green Business Program and its sustainability efforts as part of our work protecting the Hawaiian Islands’ natural resources and advancing the state’s Aloha+ Challenge goals, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and the ‘Āina Aloha Economic Future’s principles.
Learn more about the Hawai‘i Green Business Program here.
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HTA Sponsors World Surf League North Shore Pro Competitions to Hawai‘i Surfers
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is proud to be a co-presenting sponsor of The Hawaiian Islands HIC Hale‘iwa Pro, which returned to its Hale‘iwa Beach Park home surf break on November 26. The three-day World Surf League (WSL) professional surfing competition is one of the North Shore community’s beloved annual surf competitions for the number of highly skilled male and female local- and Hawai‘i-based wave riders it attracts.
Looking to offer opportunities for Hawai‘i’s best local surfers to find success, build their pro careers and earn points on their home surf breaks for the WSL’s 2024 Challenger Series, HTA was also a presenting sponsor of The Hawaiian Islands Present The Sunset Pro surf contest in October and November. In June, HTA was a presenting sponsor of the WSL’s Local Motion Surf into Summer at Home in the Hawaiian Islands competition.
“HTA is proud to continue our comprehensive partnership with the World Surf League as a way to reinvest in Native Hawaiian sporting pursuits here in the home of surfing,” said HTA Interim President and CEO Daniel Nāho‘opi‘i. “We are honored to support Hawai‘i’s surfers as WSL’s esteemed events allow our homegrown competitors to qualify locally and compete globally.”
Learn more about The Hawaiian Islands HIC Haleʻiwa Pro here.
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Maui Recovery Efforts Continue | |
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Meet Hawai‘i Co-Partners on Major MCI Industry Gathering on Maui
Northstar Meetings Group's Destination Hawaiʻi event, held from November 7 through 9 at Wailea Beach Resort, proved an important MCI industry gathering on Maui following the island’s devastating August wildfires. Organized in partnership with Meet Hawaiʻi, the event recognized Maui hospitality workers affected by the tragedy and included a panel discussion on the island's disaster response and recovery efforts.
Attendees, which included 36 meeting and incentive professionals, participated in the hosted-buyer program, which showcased industry partners representing hotels, destination management companies, activities, attractions and gift companies. They also engaged in networking opportunities, education sessions and unique Hawaiian cultural experiences, with a special focus on lessons learned from the wildfires.
The event addressed sensitivity and support for island hospitality industry employees, with the Above and Beyond Foundation partnering with organizers in providing direct assistance to local workers impacted by the fires — including a $5,000 Heart of Hospitality Award presented to Brandon Kotter, a lead banquet bartender at the Wailea Beach Resort. The foundation's ongoing efforts will include an online fundraiser auction to further support hospitality workers in 2024.
Post-event, from November 9 through 11, Kauaʻi hosted a familiarization trip for 10 qualified meeting planners showcasing promising program potential for the island. The planners visited group and convention properties and took in a variety of attractions and activities, including an exhilarating bike ride alongside Waimea Canyon and taking Kilohana Ranch’s Rum Safari Tour.
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HTUSA PR Team Shares Mālama Maui Message with Top Media
With a goal of fostering deeper relationships with North America-based media, the Hawai‘i Tourism USA (HTUSA) PR team coordinated a two-week media blitz at the end of October through early November to Southern California and a weeklong blitz in New York in early November. The team, which included a mix of destination representatives and island ambassadors, met with media representing outlets such as Travel + Leisure, AFAR, Fodor’s, Hemispheres, Fast Company and Condé Nast Traveler. Meaningful conversations with media stressed the importance of responsible travel to Maui and included updates on Hawai‘i destination news and trends. Both blitzes ended with a volunteer activity demonstrating mālama in action.
As a part of Maui recovery efforts, The Hawaiian Islands sponsored Conde Nast Traveler’s Points of View Summit, which offered a full day of panels and networking opportunities informing a coveted audience of select travel advisors and media. Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau Executive Director Sherry Duong participated in a panel discussion on responsible travel in times of crisis and encouraged participants to visit Maui and support local.
The HTUSA team also led a satellite media tour from the Maui Ocean Center on November 8 to further educate potential visitors about the need for respectful, compassionate travel to Maui. HTA board member Mike White conducted 23 back-to-back broadcast interviews marking the passage of three months following the Maui wildfires and sharing the message of respectful and compassionate travel with U.S. media, including representatives from key West Coast markets such as Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix and Denver.
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HTUSA To Participate in International Media Marketplace in January
The HTUSA PR team will travel to New York City in January to participate in TravMedia's International Media Marketplace (IMM), a leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. IMM is an annual event for travel media and PR professionals to nurture relationships through one-on-one prescheduled meetings and networking opportunities.
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Meet Hawai'i Leads Strong Hawai'i Presence at IMEX America 2023
The Meet Hawai‘i and Global MCI Oceania team proudly led a contingent of nearly 30 Hawai‘i partners representing the Hawaiian Islands at IMEX America 2023, one of the largest U.S. trade shows for the meetings, conventions and incentives market. Held October 17 through 19 in Las Vegas, IMEX America 2023 attracted the highest attendance numbers of the tradeshow’s history with 15,000 total participants and more than 5,300 buyers from around the world representing all MCI market segments.
Over the event’s three days, Meet Hawai‘i sellers and partners, including the Island Chapters, promoted Hawai‘i as a preferred destination for meetings in hundreds of one-on-one customer appointments. The Meet Hawai‘i team fielded nearly 200 appointments, sharing the most recent updates on Maui wildfire recovery efforts and emphasizing that Maui and all of the Hawaiian Islands are open for group business. The Hawai‘i booth at IMEX hosted more than 700 one-on-one appointments in total and products from Maui small businesses were featured as amenities and giveaway prizes.
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HTA recognizes the use of the 'okina ['] or glottal stop, one of the eight consonants of the (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō [ō] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai'i such as Lāna'i). However, HTA respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses. | | | | |
