Hawaii Tourism Authority Launches Qurator

by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:10 AM ET, Thu June 27, 2024

The Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA) has launched its official certification program of excellence for Hawai’i-based and operating businesses who hold responsible tourism practices, called Qurator.

Qurator-certified businesses are evaluated based on the program’s six criteria: environment, cultural support, equity, safety, community and guest experience. Qurator certification is based on each of these pillars individually. Businesses conduct a comprehensive self-evaluation, which is then handed over to an independent third party for review.

Thirteen businesses were the first to be Qurator certified during its pilot program in May. These include Alaska Airlines, Bishop Museum, Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i, Hāna and Beyond, Hawai‘i Forest and Trail, HI Honey Farm, Hawaiian Airlines, Holo Holo Charters, Keoki’s Paradise, Maui Chocolate Tour, Southwest Airlines, Stargazers of Hawaiʻi and Trilogy Excursions.

Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Trilogy Excursions, Qurator

“Qurator exemplifies HTA’s commitment to championing businesses and organizations that enrich our community as a whole,” said Daniel Nāho‘opi‘i, HTA’s interim president and CEO. “Many travelers want to make responsible choices, and with Qurator, visitors can easily identify businesses that align with their values and contribute to a more sustainable, regenerative Hawai‘i.”

Those who are certified across all categories offer three levels of recognition depending on how high the businesses rank in their self-evaluations, with “Qurator Certified,” as the base level, “Qurator Honored”as the second-highest and “Qurator Elite” reserved for the highest scoring businesses across all pillars.

Qurator was created with outside input from over 100 organizations and a 24-member advisory committee composed of people from local government, nonprofits and the tourism industry. It’s considered the broadest visitor industry mark of quality in the world, as the only criteria for a business to begin the certification process is that it’s physically present in Hawai’i, fully licensed and in good legal standing.

It’s also cause-neutral, and able to support smaller businesses through the flexibility of its certification process, when small businesses might struggle under more stringent certification programs.

“As Maui’s oldest family-owned sailboat company, Trilogy has strived to be a leader in the marine hospitality industry for decades,” said Riley Coon, director of sustainable tourism with Trilogy Excursions. “We mālama and embrace our kuleana for the marine environment, educating our guests and staff about Hawai‘i and how to minimize our impact. Driven by our core belief — ‘o ka pono o nā kai’ (to better the condition of our oceans) — we are thrilled that HTA highlights our industry’s positive impacts through the Qurator program.”

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