Hawai‘i tourism is at a point that requires a re-balancing of priorities. The continuous drive to increase visitor numbers has taken its toll on our natural environment and people, the very reason visitors travel to our islands.

For this reason, destination management has become a major HTA focus and is at the heart of this 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Update.

Our previous strategic plans have included attention to community benefits, Hawaiian culture, workforce training, and other destination concerns. What is different now is the greater emphasis and additional resources being directed to them.

At the same time, HTA is enabled by law to “Have a permanent, strong focus on Hawai‘i brand management”, primarily marketing. However, marketing can only do so much if we neglect the very resources that draw visitors to Hawai‘i – our ‘āina, our culture, our communities. By reinvesting in them, we strengthen the destination and better position ourselves to endure economic downturns.