#Hawaii Tourism Authority

The year one progress report for the Moloka‘i Destination Management Action Plan was recently published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

New messaging and videos aimed at educating visitors about culture, safety, and other aspects of “traveling pono,” are now on display at airports across the state, including Kahului Airport on Maui.

ClimbHI seeks to inspire students to finish high school and proceed to post-secondary education or employment by exposing them to future career paths and the steps necessary to achieve those goals. Their Leadership, Exploration, Inspiration (LEI) program was held on Maui on Friday.

Global marine conservation nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation presents the 6th annual World Whale Film Festival in celebration of World Ocean Day on June 8, 2022.

Among the Maui recipients are: Hāna Arts for workshops and events in East Maui; Lōkahi Pacific for various festivals and hoʻolauleʻa events; and Hui Noʻeau for art workshops and programs. A full list of Maui County recipients are posted below:

HTA is working with the Department of Transportation Airports Division to set up the Aloha Ambassador Volunteer Program at Moloka‘i Airport.

The document aims to rebuild, redefine and reset the direction of tourism over a three-year period. The DMAP was approved by HTA’s board of directors in January 2021 and released to the public and published on HTA’s website on March 4, 2021.

Speaker Saiki reports that “the House will advance legislation to increase the hourly minimum wage to $18, increase the food tax credit, and make the Earned Income Tax Credit refundable and permanent.”

Whatʻs happening with the Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan? According to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s fall update, 16 of the 18 sub-actions in phase 1 are in progress and one sub-action about safe sun screen education is completed.

Building on its commitment to support Hawaiian culture, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is providing $1,475,000 in 2022 to 30 community-based programs in the Aloha State through its Kukula Ola program.

In alignment with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mandatory self-quarantine period for individuals arriving in the Hawaiian Islands who are not fully vaccinated or do not have a negative pre-travel test result has been reduced from 10 days to five days, effective yesterday, Jan. 3, 2022.

Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties in November, with 189,300 available unit nights (-15.6% vs. 2020, -37.8% vs. 2019), according to the Hawaiʻi Vacation Rental Performance Report issued by the Hawai.i Tourism Authority.

Maui County hotels led the state in November 2021 with average daily rate of $531, revenue per available room at $347 and occupancy at 65%, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

A Hawaiʻi nonprofit that partners with Cornell University to help high school students prepare for the workforce looks for sponsors for the spring semester, after experiencing a record number of certifications this fall.

Unit demand for Maui County vacation rentals during October 2021 was down nearly 50% from the same month in 2019, before the pandemic struck, according to the latest Hawai’i Vacation Rental Performance Report by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

Maui County hotels occupancy for October 2021 was 60.3%, which is 16.1 percentage points lower than pre-pandemic October 2019, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Most visitors (81%) rated their trip as “Excellent;” visitor satisfaction has remained relatively stable over the course of the year with a slight dip in the prior survey conducted in June 2021.

The University of Hawaiʻi Warriors football team is set to square off against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 13. The UH Alumni Association in partnership with The Hawaiian Islands are encouraging fans to come support the UH Warriors with “Weekend in Las Vegas” events to cheer Hawaiʻi’s team on to victory.

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority announced today that T. Ilihia Gionson, a longtime public affairs and community engagement professional from Hawaiʻi Island, will join the organization as public affairs officer. He begins work at HTA on Nov. 1. 

Residents of Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi are invited to join HTA and the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau at the upcoming Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan community meetings to share their views on tourism’s future direction for each island.