The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has put out a public call for input and ideas from island communities about how the state and counties can effectively restart tourism. It's inviting locals to make their voices heard on the topics of destination management, community prioritization and Hawaii's wider cultural and environmental needs.
In line with its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, one of HTA's newest initiatives is to establish Destination Management Action Plans (DMAP)-one specifically for each county-through its Community-Based Tourism Program.
The goal is to create four individual action plans for Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu for resetting, redefining and rebuilding tourism's direction over the next three years through a collaborative process. Each county will need to determine its long-term desires surrounding tourism and strike a mindful balance between the industry's economic advantages and its impact on local services, cultural and natural resources and the quality of life of its residents.
Partnering with county governments and respective visitors bureaus, new "steering committees", comprised of local residents representing their communities, were created for involvement in critical decision-making. The steering committees for Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Lanai began meeting in September, while Hawaii Island's steering committee will convene in October and Oahu's in January 2021.
The public will also be apprised of ideas generated by these steering committees through a series of interactive, virtual meetings held via Zoom from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on the dates outlined below. Participants will need to register, as space is limited, and must reside on the respective island.
The online meetings will afterward be posted on HTA's website for community members who are unable to attend. The public will also have the opportunity to review proposals and contribute feedback via a webform on HTA's Community-Based Tourism website. Proposed actions for Kauai will become available to view online starting the week of October 15 and the week of October 19 for Maui Nui.
Here are the key dates and details of upcoming meetings:
-October 21: Kauai Community Meeting (for residents in South and West Kauai - Kona and Niihau Moku). Register here by October 20, 2020.
-October 22: Kauai Community Meeting (for residents in North and East Kauai - Puna, Koolau, Halelea and Napali Moku). Register here by October 20, 2020.
-October 27: Lanai Community Meeting. Register here by October 26, 2020.
-October 28: Maui Community Meeting. Register here by October 26, 2020.
-October 29: Molokai Community Meeting. Register here by October 26, 2020.
-November 17: Hawaii Island Community Meeting. Zoom info not yet available. Check this page for the latest updates.
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