Makaliʻi is a constellation also known as the Pleiades. In Hawaiʻi when the rise of this cluster of stars in the hikina (east) falls in sync with the setting of the sun in komohana (the west), it is the start of the Makahiki season, which begins sometime in October or November with the changing of Kau (dry season) to Hoʻoilo (wet season) and ends in January or February. The Makahiki season marks a new year in Hawaiʻi, and as we continue our course through 2023, we will stick to the theme of Makaliʻi: reflecting on the year past and preparing for the year ahead. There is a lot that we are grateful for in the work that our collective team at HTA does to help educate those who visit our ʻāina and to support one another on the ground, including our larger ʻohana of Hawaiʻi - all those who continue to mālama this special place we call home. Join us in this celebration and enjoy this month’s newsletter.

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) invites the public to participate in its Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference 2022 on December 8 and 9, a two-day in-person event that will offer travel and tourism insights from worldwide industry leaders on topics and issues that will help shape our destination in the years to come. This includes important conversations around destination management and the progress being made through our Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs), cultural tourism, travel sector updates, regenerative tourism and research trends.

This year’s conference officially kicks-off with an opening lunch featuring HTA President and CEO John De Fries as the keynote speaker followed by breakout session on a variety of important topics. The first day ends with an Aloha Reception featuring chef stations and entertainment. Day two is highlighted by more breakout sessions and the annual Tourism Legacy Award Luncheon themed “Mālama Kuʻu Home.” This part of the program will acknowledge key individuals and organizations who have been doing great work to help care for Hawaiʻi.

Early registration is available for $195 plus tax through Sunday, December 4, and includes both conference days. On Monday, December 5, registration will increase to $225 plus tax. Complimentary validated self-parking will be available.

Space is limited, so register for the 2022 Hawaiʻi Tourism Conference today! We look forward to seeing you there. Register here.

The Kalihi Valley Kīpuka Revitalization Initiative seeks to protect and restore natural areas across the Kalihi ahupua‘a. Through community-engaged stewardship, cultural farming and strategic partnership activities, Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services builds long-term collective capacity to mālama ‘āina. 

 

The revitalization project supports forest and stream restoration, cultural farming, and stewardship activities, including removing invasive species, building fencing to protect from feral fauna populations, propagating seeds from native species, and out-plantings at the 100-acre Ho‘oulu ‘Āina nature preserve. In addition, the project engages youth and community members in growing cultural foods and connecting with the land at the small urban Kaluaopalena garden located within the Towers at Kūhiō Park public housing. 

 

Learn more about the work of Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services here.

The Auwahi Forest Restoration Project on Maui is a community-based organization powered by kamaʻāina and visitor volunteer work to protect and restore the endangered Auwahi dry forests for future generations. Located on the leeward side of Haleakalā, Auwahi is recognized as one of the most diverse forests within Hawaiʻi and an important wahi pana.

The restoration program focuses on several different activities including tree-planting trips, educational outreach events, seed-gathering efforts, and work to innovate restoration techniques that support future initiatives and continued protection of endangered Auwahi forests.

Learn more about the Auwahi Forest Restoration Project here.

The mission of ʻAha Kāne Foundation is to improve the well-being of families and communities by sharing Native Hawaiian worldviews and cultural practices. The Foundation’s Tena Project supports the cultural practice of ulana lauhala (lauhala weaving) and hoʻoponopono through partnerships with master practitioners to advance the training of students learning the traditional art forms. This process of Tena involves teaching through examining concepts and skills of a respective practice for mastery.

Learn more about the mission of Aha Kāne here.

Kimokeo Foundation’s Ke Ala Kūpuna program engages Maui youth who are fluent in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in an immersive extra-curricular educational program which aims to increase their understanding and cultural connections as they become cultural practitioners and community leaders. The Foundation’s mission is to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture, its traditions, practices, language, and Maui’s natural resources through educational programs to benefit the people of Hawai‘i.

Learn more about Kimokeo Foundation here.

The Hawaiʻi FoundHer Experience (HFHE) program created by Purple Maiʻa Foundation curates and coordinates free tours of local, wāhine-owned businesses, for attendees to experience the unique values of Hawai‘i’s diverse entrepreneurial community. The tours are available on the islands of Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island, and feature businesses that are community-based, authentic, culturally grounded, sustainable, and aspire to provide economic opportunities to members of their communities. The purpose of the program is to uplift and increase the exposure of wāhine-led companies in Hawaiʻi and inspire future generations of women entrepreneurs.

Learn more about the Hawaiʻi FoundHer Experience here.

Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative on Hawai‘i Island continues to care for critically endangered trees and restore the complex forest ecosystem within this natural preserve. A Mālama Hawai‘i partner offering opportunities for kama‘āina and malihini to connect and support their efforts through community workdays, the organization focuses on land management practices, including removing and controlling invasive plants and species, propagating and planting native plant species, and collecting and scattering native seeds.

Watch this video to hear more from Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative Preserve Manager Rob Yagi.

HTA continues to connect with stakeholders from the public and private sectors in each county to share updates relevant to the hospitality industry. In collaboration with the county mayors, HTA convenes online meetings with industry partners on a quarterly basis covering efforts to manage tourism, progress being made in implementing the Destination Management Action Plans, visitor education, and the leisure travel and MCI markets.

The O‘ahu update featured discussions with City and County of Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, HTA President and CEO John De Fries, HTA Director of Planning Caroline Anderson, HTA Public Affairs Officer Ilihia Gionson, Hawai‘i Tourism USA (HTUSA) President and CEO John Monahan, HTUSA Chief Marketing Officer Jay Talwar, Meet Hawai‘i Senior Vice President and Chief MCI Sales Officer John Reyes, O‘ahu Visitors Bureau (OVB) Executive Director Noelani Schilling-Wheeler, and OVB Destination Manager Catherine Orlans.

The Hawai‘i Island meeting featured updates from the County of Hawai‘i – Mayor Mitch Roth, Tourism Specialist Frecia Cevallos, and Public Information Officer Cyrus Johnasen – as well as HTA’s John De Fries, Caroline Anderson and Ilihia Gionson, HTUSA’s John Monahan and Jay Talwar, John Reyes of Meet Hawai‘i, and Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau’s Executive Director Ross Birch and Destination Manager Rachel Kaiama. In addition to destination management updates, the group discussed Maunaloa’s seismic activity and upcoming community and industry meetings. For current information on Maunaloa, click here.

Both meetings were held via Zoom on November 14. Information about future updates for Kaua‘i and Maui Nui will be forthcoming.

HTA recently released its Phase 1 Progress Report for O‘ahu and Summer 2022 Progress Reports for Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kauaʻi, highlighting the collective work conducted to implement actions outlined in the Destination Management Action Plans (DMAP). Mahalo to our partners for their continued dedication and commitment to carrying out these efforts, supporting a regenerative tourism future for Hawaiʻi. We encourage you to view the progress reports at the following links:

On November 15, HTA awarded a contract to a.link LLC for visitor education and destination brand marketing and management services for the Japan major market area. HTA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) 23-01 for the Japan market on September 26. As part of the RFP process, presentations were made to an evaluation committee comprised of government and industry professionals. HTA will negotiate a three-year contract with a.link LLC which will commence on January 1, 2023, and end on December 31, 2025, with HTA having the option to extend the agreement for an additional two years.

In October, the Meet Hawai‘i team led a contingent of 26 Hawai‘i partners to represent the Hawaiian Islands at IMEX America 2022, the largest U.S. trade show for the meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) market. Held October 9-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, IMEX America 2022 attracted more than 4,300 buyers from around the world — many of them with budgets over $1 million — representing all MCI market segments.

Over the three-day event, Meet Hawai‘i sellers and partners promoted Hawai‘i — via more than 600 one-on-one customer appointments — as a preferred destination for meetings. Meet Hawaiʻi also met with three key citywide customers considering the Hawaiʻi Convention Center for 2024, 2025 and 2026 events. The single-property team set appointments with customers currently researching 2023 and 2024 hotel programs for Hawaiʻi. And Meet Hawai‘i’s Global MCI Asia/Oceania team attended IMEX to benefit from the trade show’s strong international attendance, which includes a large contingent of Oceania MCI customers.

Recognizing the significant role IMEX America plays in the meetings, conventions and incentives market, the Meet Hawai‘i team is already planning for the trade show’s 2023 edition.

Eight citywide sales customers embarked on an O‘ahu familiarization/educational experience, September 11-14, where they learned firsthand about the many Waikīkī hotels hosting citywide attendees and functions. 

The group’s O‘ahu visit also included an in-depth tour of the Hawai‘i Convention Center and a special guided tour of Bishop Museum and ‘Iolani Palace, the latter two led by Hawai‘i Visitors and Conventions Bureau’s Senior Director — Brand Kainoa Daines, who shared his knowledge of Hawaiian history and culture. Sustainable Coastlines beach clean-up kits, offered by International Market Place's Mālama Hawai'i Program, were also shared with the group. 

All of the customers on the tour had business on the books with the Hawai‘i Convention Center and its hotel partners as well as tentative business for future years. In total, they also represented more than 82,000 total room nights and 34,000 attendees. 

Pictured above: Cory Fransway (Maritz Global Events), Ariel Litewka (Society of Critical Care Medicine), Alison Milgram (PCMA), Stacie Ayers (MC&A), Aleta Harris (American College of Surgeons), Neela Johnston (i3 Events), Lynn Whitehead (Meet Hawai‘i), Kevin Ching (Waikīkī Beach Marriott Resort and Spa), Heather Bailey (MC&A), Crystal Oliveto (Association of Molecular Pathology), Sara Hamilton (Association of Molecular Pathology), Adrienne Nudo (Meet Hawai‘i), Brian Stansifer (Luxxotica), John Reyes (Meet Hawai‘i).

In October, the Applied Superconductivity Conference 2022 held its annual gathering at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. The weeklong citywide conference attracted more than 1,300 attendees from the global scientific community and was the sixth of seven large citywide events slated at the Hawai‘i Convention Center for 2022.

Community outreach and student programs were key components of the conference and planning for these began early between the Applied Superconductivity Educational Foundation (ASEF) and the Hawai‘i State Department of Education in support of STEM education. Leading up to the conference, ASEF sent outreach team members to connect with 12 O‘ahu high schools and middle schools, employing hands-on demonstrations to get students excited about science and engineering.

During the conference’s Science Friday public event at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, students learned about the power of magnets by taking a ride on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ superconductivity levitator. Hawai‘i News Now’s Sunrise reporter Casey Lund got a sneak preview of the levitator prior to the event.

A key part of Meet Hawai‘i’s booking process for large citywide events in Hawai‘i is determining how group’s holding these events can engage and benefit our residents and community while here. With its enthusiastic outreach to Hawai‘i’s schools, the Applied Superconductivity Conference aligned well with those goals.

Meet Hawai‘i Oceania and Hawaiian Airlines recently showcased the island of O‘ahu to key meetings, conventions and incentives clients from Australia visiting on a six-day educational trip. Clients on the trip were immersed in the aloha spirit and welcomed with great hospitality as they explored the island and discovered why O‘ahu is an ideal destination for their meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) groups.

Hotel partners Prince Waikīkī, The Kāhala Hotel and Resort, and the Alohilani Resort Waikīkī Beach offered tours of their meeting spaces and world-class accommodations while hosting the group at their properties. Clients visited a range of event venues, from the world-class Hawai‘i Convention Center to the Downtown Honolulu gem, Hawai‘i Theatre Center.

They also learned about Hawai‘i’s World War II history at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and Battleship Missouri Memorial, visited ‘Iolani Palace, and spent a day at Kualoa Ranch’s Private Nature Reserve where they had fun on ATVs, enjoyed a private lunch catered by Gourmet Events Hawai‘i and ended the day with a Mālama Hawai‘i activity.

Hawai‘i Tourism USA

Hawai‘i Tourism USA (HTUSA) and the Island Chapters conducted a destination seminar for 52 travel advisors attending Apple Leisure Group’s 2022 ASCEND Conference in October. At the seminar, they shared the importance of destination management and regenerative tourism, highlighted the Mālama Hawai‘i program, provided destination updates, and presented hula kahiko performances.

HTUSA also showcased Hawai‘i entertainment, Mālama Hawai‘i videos, made-in-Hawai‘i products and destination resources during the two-day interactive trade show, reaching 520 attendees from across the U.S. Participating Hawai‘i hotels included Hawaiian Hotels and Resorts, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Hyatt Resorts Hawai‘i, and Marriott International.

Hawai‘i Tourism Japan (HTJ) collaborated with Tabippo, a Japan-based PR/marketing company specializing in serving the country’s travel-loving younger generations, on inviting 12 influencers and 30 micro-influencers to Hawaiʻi to experience activities relating to the Mālama Hawaiʻi program. The influencers were divided into two groups for travel to Kona and Hilo on a special Mālama Hawaiʻi Week program, between October 13-18, to experience the island of Hawaiʻi. 

Influencers visiting Hilo participated in volunteer work at Lokoaka fishpond while influencers visiting Kona learned about Hawaiʻi history. Two influencers and all 30 micro-influencers experienced tree planting and ziplining. 

On O‘ahu, influencers gathered at Bishop Museum to participate in programs exploring Hawai‘i history, culture and nature, and participated in a Mālama Hawai‘i experience followed by a raptor tour at Kualoa Ranch. Keeping with the theme of their visit, “A New Mālama Trip to Hawaiʻi,” influencers shared their Hawai‘i experiences via their social media accounts — in particular, Twitter — producing over a thousand posts in total and generating more than six million impressions.

Mālama Hawaiʻi ambassador Rola, who has more than eight million Instagram followers, recently visited the island of Hawaiʻi where she experienced tree planting and shared her visit on her social media. Her posts had generated 150,706 likes as of October 31. Rola also visited Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, experienced Hawai‘i Island’s vitality, discovered the importance of Hawai‘i endemic flora such as the ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree, learned about Hilo town’s history, and got to do some stargazing. She was last in Hawai‘i in April, when she visited Kaua‘i on an invitation from HTJ.

The HTJ-sponsored program, “Mālama: A New Hawaiʻi Trip,” was broadcast each Saturday in October on TBS Television in Japan. The 5-minute program focuses on people with mālama in mind perpetuating Hawaiian culture. Episodes broadcast in October explored O‘ahu’s Hanauma Bay State Park, Paepae o Heʻeia Hawaiian fishpond, Island Slippers and the story of plate lunch.

For TBS Television’s next slate of Hawai‘i-focused broadcasts, HTJ assisted in coordinating filming on the island of Hawai‘i from October 18 to 23 at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the Hilo Farmers Market, a golf course, a coffee farm and at Merriman’s Waimea restaurant. On Hawai‘i Island, TBS interviewed a chef promoting local-grown-and-raised food for local consumption, park rangers about sustainability efforts, an aloha ambassador about cultivating a passion for sharing Hawaiian culture with visitors, and Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Ross Birch. Island of Hawaiʻi-filmed episodes of the program are set to air in mid-November.

More than 180 travel advisors and several industry partners were invited to a Hawai‘i Tourism Canada (HTCAN) educational trade event and dinner at Aloha Canada Trade Mission 2022 in October, which included stops in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver.

Travel agents interacted with representatives of the Island Chapters and learned about new Hawai‘i visitor offerings and sustainable-tourism initiatives. Most of the travel advisors in attendance were Hawai‘i Destination Specialists and sellers of high-end luxury destinations who had been qualified and personally invited by HTCAN.

Aloha Canada 2022 drew travel industry representatives from across Canada for its presentations, breakout sessions and many networking opportunities. The Island Chapters’ four presentations focused on regenerative tourism and Mālama Hawai‘i. Attendees also experienced Hawaiian culture with two cultural practitioners who performed and offered a brief hula lesson in each city. HTA Chief Brand Officer Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā attended and offered a blessing at each event.

HTA shared key information on the Mālama Hawai‘i program with attendees as well as opportunities for their clients to mālama the Hawaiian Islands, its residents and our local culture. For trade media, HTCAN arranged interviews with HTA and Island Chapter representatives, and Global News morning interviews in Montreal and Toronto with Kalani. Randy Sharman’s “The Informed Traveller” Global News radio show also broadcasted an interview with Kalani.

HTCAN was there as Canada-based travel company TravelBrands returned to in-person networking in October with a series of Agent Appreciation events. Networking events in Montreal at the Hotel Bonaventure Montreal and Toronto at the Paramount Eventspace celebrated the return of Canadian travel and TravelBrands’ appreciation for its travel agents.

More than 300 travel agents attended the Montreal event and 500 attended in Toronto, with an additional 500 tuning in online to watch livestreams of the events. In addition, more than 70 suppliers were on hand for the event’s Toronto trade show. HTCAN enjoyed opportunities to update travel advisors on the Mālama Hawai‘i program and Hawai‘i’s newest visitor offerings at both TravelBrands events.

Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania (HTO) hosted a We Are Explorers film crew on the island of Hawai‘i this month, kicking off the first stage of a larger video campaign set to go live on the WeAreExplorers website and social media channels in February. We Are Explorers is Australia’s largest online adventure travel publication and a recent Publication of the Year award winner at the 2022 Mumbrella Awards, which annually celebrates the best work and talent across Australia and New Zealand’s marketing, advertising, media, production, PR and communications sectors.

We Are Explorers is creating a series of short videos and editorial articles about activities visitors can seek out on the island of Hawai‘i. HTO worked with the Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau and individual tourism operators to put together experiences for the campaign.

When the campaign goes live in February, consumers will be directed from We Are Explorers content to a Flight Centre landing page where they can book Hawai‘i hotels and experiences.

HTO worked with popular Australian travel show “Getaway” on a series of five video segments, broadcast on the country’s Channel Nine TV network in September and October, featuring a diversity of O‘ahu experiences. Content for the segments were filmed on O‘ahu in July. Check out the segments via the links below:

Hawai‘i Tourism Korea (HTK) and Asiana Airlines hosted a honeymoon trade familiarization (FAM) trip from October 26-21, inviting 14 representatives from Korea-based travel agencies for a two-day stay on Maui and three-day visit on O‘ahu.

On Maui, FAM participants enjoyed visits to Kipuka Olowalu, Hawai‘i Sea Spirits Organic Farm and Distillery, Maui Ku‘ia Estate’s cacao farm and a lū‘au. On O‘ahu, participants visited and took in experiences from Gunstock Ranch, Kualoa Ranch, Circle Island Tour, Dole Plantation and visited Hale‘iwa town. Participants in the FAM will now develop Mālama Honeymoon products for their agencies, based on their experiences, before the end of 2022.

HTK participated in the B2B Travel Mart and Networking Show 2022 in Busan on November 2 and 3, hosted by the Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives (ANTOR) Korea. At the event, HTK participated in a networking dinner hosted by the Busan Tourist Association updating the city’s travel market.

The trade show’s B2B Travel Mart — attended by more than 100 major travel agents, airlines and local media in Busan and Gyeongsang-do — offered an opportunity for HTK to develop ongoing sales and marketing relationship activities. HTK distributed the recent special Hawai‘i-themed issue of Korea publication Magazine B — which includes an interview with HTA — to major Busan travel agents and media. HTK also hosted a brief presentation and video about the Mālama Hawai‘i campaign at the event’s travel mart.

Hawai‘i Tourism China (HTC) recently completed its WeChat B2B, taking it live in October. HTC plans to push out the QR code for downloading the B2B program soon and share it with key China stakeholders. The B2C mini-program has been live since April and HTC is continuing to build more content into the platform. Both platforms will be marketed in HTC’s periodic posts throughout all its social media channels and platforms and shared with its stakeholders.