Hawaii Tourism Authority Adopts Aina Aloha Declaration

For Immediate Release: June 26, 2020
HTA Release (20-104)

2020-06-26 HTA - Aina Aloha Press Release

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s (HTA) Board of Directors adopted the Aina Aloha Economic Futures declaration during its board meeting yesterday.

HTA now joins thousands of Hawaii community members, businesses and organizations as Aina Aloha takes action to bring to life a resilient economy through its core value of aina aloha – a deep and abiding love for Hawaii's communities and natural environments.

Aina Aloha’s declaration was drafted by a group of Native Hawaiian community members who came together at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kalani Kaanaana, HTA Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs and Natural Resources, is one of the 14 collaborative authors of the Aina Aloha declaration.

 

According to the group, “This declaration serves as a starting point to facilitate broader engagement and collective action in support of our shared principles, and was sent to Governor David Ige on May 19, 2020.”

Naalehu Anthony and Mahina Paishon-Duarte presented Aina Aloha’s guiding principles and four-step community engagement process to the HTA board members and staff, and explained about the importance of having the four principles guide Hawaii's economic recovery.