Who We Are
Aloha! The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) provides comprehensive management of tourism for the State of Hawai‘i . We are the state’s official source for information on tourism market research, partnership opportunities, industry news and timely updates during emergency situations.
HTA was established in 1998 through a legislative act to serve as the state’s lead agency supporting tourism, Hawaii ’s largest industry. HTA is guided by four pillars which are: natural resources, Hawaiian culture, community, and brand marketing.
Our mission is to strategically manage Hawai‘i tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires and visitor industry needs.
We aim to manage tourism in a way that helps improve the quality of life for residents and communities across the state. Our marketing now includes teaching visitors to be responsible, with the goal of sustainable tourism.
HTA supports the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. HTA is promoting the visitor industry in alignment with the Aloha+ Challenge.
Our measures of success are: visitor satisfaction, resident sentiment, per person per day spend, and total visitor expenditures.
HTA in 2020 is funding 95 events, festivals and nonprofit programs across Hawai‘i through our Community Enrichment Program. The events are often highly attended by Hawaii’s residents.
Through our Kukulu Ola Program, HTA in 2020 is funding 43 nonprofit groups and government programs across the state that help to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture.
Our Aloha Aina Program is funding 34 nonprofit and government programs in 2020 across the state that help to preserve our natural resources.
HTA’s programs are funded by the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) -- the 10.25% tax that people pay when they stay in legal accommodations across the state.
