News Releases
HTA Seeks Community Input to Its Destination Management Action Plans
For Immediate Release: October 6, 2020
HTA Release (20-183)
2020-10-06 HTA Seeks Community Input to Its Destination Management Action Plans
HONOLULU – Do you have ideas on how the state and counties can reset tourism in Hawaii through destination management, prioritizing community, cultural and environmental needs? If so, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) would like to hear from you.
Guided by its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, one of HTA’s newest initiatives is the creation of a Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) for each county – Kauai, Maui, Hawai‘i and Oahu – through its Community-Based Tourism program. HTA’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, the counties’ Tourism Plans and other relevant plans that include tourism policies will serve as the foundation for the DMAPs.
The goal is to create four individual action plans that will provide an appropriate balance between the economic benefits of tourism and impact on local services, natural and cultural resources, and residents’ quality of life. The purpose is to rebuild, redefine and reset tourism’s direction over a three-year period through a collaborative process. The focus will be on mindful tourism recovery followed by the long-term desired tourism for each island.
In partnership with the counties and respective visitors bureaus, steering committees comprised of residents who represent not only the communities they live in, but also the visitor industry, different business sectors, the community and non-profit organizations, were created to guide the critical discussions. The steering committees for Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Lanai began meeting in September. Hawaii Island’s steering committee will meet starting this month, and Oahu’s will convene in January 2020.
The ideas generated during the steering committee meetings will be shared with the public during a series of interactive community meetings that will be held online via Zoom from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on the dates below. Participants must reside on the respective island, since these are island-specific actions. Space is limited. Registration is required. The community meetings will also be posted on HTA’s website for those who are unable to attend.