by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:35 PM ET, Wed May 10, 2023
After losing
funding from the state government and avoiding being disbanded, the Hawaii
Tourism Authority (HTA) has awarded nearly $70 million in visitor marketing and
management contracts.
According to Hawaii
News Now, the bill to dissolve the HTA and change tourism’s structure in
the state has been deferred until lawmakers come back in about seven months for
the next session, but reassurance from Governor Josh Green and other top legislators
of support has given the agency confidence to advance the funding.
Government officials in Hawaii approved $64 million in
funding to repair the Hawaii Convention Center, but provided no additional
cashflow for the HTA in this year’s budget.
HTA Chairman George Kam said the lack
of funding would force the agency to dip into its own coffers before possibly
tapping into a new $200 million discretionary fund. The first contract awarded
was for marketing to the mainland United States until December 2025, which is
slated to cost $ 38 million.
HTA officials also awarded $28 million for destination
stewardship through May 2026 and $2.4 million for marketing to Canada. The
agency said it had enough money to “cover initial payments for the contracts.”
“I think we’re really grateful that we have moving forward,”
Kam told Hawaii News Now. “I think everybody’s going to be pleased with a
pathway we have set. That’s still fluid but from our understanding, the funding
is available for us to proceed.”
The news comes as the state reports increasing recovery of
its tourism
industry. In March, the tourism authority said the number of travelers
arriving in Hawaii has nearly reached pre-pandemic levels as of 2023. And in
equally promising news for the destination, visitor spending has exceeded 2019
levels.
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