by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:50 AM ET, Tue December 26, 2023
The Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau’s (HVCB) president and CEO John Monahan, who has served in the roles since 2003, will be stepping down at the end of 2023.
Beginning January 1, 2024, Tom Mullen, the organization’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, will serve as the interim president and CEO until a permanent replacement has been chosen.
Monahan, meanwhile, will continue to advise the HVCB. During his time with HVCB, he successfully steered the state’s tourism growth through challenges like the 2008 financial crisis, hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent Maui wildfires, the recovery efforts of which are expected to remain for years.
Among the positives during his tenure at the organization was a partnership with the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, which began in 2018 to attract more responsible and mindful travelers, creating award-winning campaigns like Hawai’i Rootes, Kuleana and Mālama Hawai‘i, the last of which is still ongoing.
“It has been a tremendous run the past 20 years and I’m incredibly grateful for all my partners at HVCB over that time who have allowed me to succeed,” said Monahan.
“It is a good time for me to step away and let our great team continue forward to help lead the industry into the next generation of regenerative tourism. I have great confidence in Tom Mullen and his abilities to lead HVCB in all facets of the job. As a long-term resident of Hawai‘i, coupled with his years with American Express Travel, the visitor bureaus in Los Angeles, San Francisco and here at HVCB, his experience and knowledge of the industry is truly unmatched.”
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