Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Releases New RFP for Brand Management for US Market, Global Support Services

For Immediate Release: April 15, 2022
HTA Release (22-08)

22-08 2022.04.15 US MMA RFP Released.pdf

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency responsible for managing tourism, has issued a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for brand management services for the United States market, as well as support services shared by Hawaiʻi’s brand management teams worldwide.
 
Through this procurement process, HTA will select a qualified contractor to provide comprehensive branding and visitor education services in the United States market - the largest single source of Hawaiʻi’s visitors. This procurement is also seeking support services for Hawaiʻi’s official travel website, app, social media channels, and creative content used worldwide for brand marketing and visitor education.
 
The contractor’s work will be guided by HTA’s 2025 Strategic Plan, the Destination Management Action Plans generated by communities in each county, HTA’s mission of Mālama Ku‘u Home (caring for our beloved home), and the principles of regenerative tourism – a model that seeks to balance the economics of the industry with the well-being, health, and resiliency of Hawaiʻi’s communities, culture, and natural resources.
 
All interested applicants must register their intent to apply by April 22, and proposals are due to HTA May 17.
 
HTA will conduct a pre-proposal conference via Zoom on April 20 at 8 a.m. HST for interested applicants to be briefed on the procurement and to ask questions. Register for the pre-proposal conference at bit.ly/rfp22-01-hta.
 
The new contract will run June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2024 with an additional two-year option. Further details on key dates can be found in the RFP. The RFP and all of its associated attachments, can be downloaded from the State Procurement Office, Hawai‘i Awards & Notices Data System (HANDS), Bidding Opportunities website at hands.ehawaii.gov, or from the RFP page of the HTA website at hawaiitourismauthority.org/rfps.
 
Inquiries regarding the RFP should be directed to [email protected].