Ever-tightening U.S. entry policies and accounts from international visitors like Saroukos who are denied entry could weaken international arrivals, which are an important base of business for Hawaii’s visitor industry. Read more
Hospitality veterans Elliot Mills and Jerry Gibson on Thursday launched a new asset management firm, Hawai‘i Hospitality Group, which will focus on hotel, resort and tourism-aligned real estate across the islands. Read more
Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki), chair of the House Committee on Tourism, warned the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority during a Wednesday board meeting that the coming passage of Senate Bill 1571 —which upon Gov. Josh Green’s signature will dramatically change HTA’s governance model — reflects a loss of confidence so deep that he is already considering a bill to upend the agency next year. Read more
Isaac Choy was put on unpaid leave May 9 amid allegations he made racist and sexist remarks on the job. He has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them false and retaliatory. Read more
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s destination management focus is “not new — or effective — and the agency remains unable to gauge its own performance,” according to a state audit. Read more
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke announced Thursday that the state plans to expand the Akamai Arrival program to additional flights throughout the year, allowing more travelers entering Hawaii to complete a digitized version of the Department of Agriculture’s Plants and Animals Declaration Form. Read more
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The remake of the animated classic, which opens nationwide Friday, was co-written by Native Hawaiian filmmaker Chris Kekaniokalani Bright. Read more
The outlook for airline seats into Hawaii softened this month with losses widening into the peak summer tourism season, exacerbating concerns that demand for leisure travel will hold amid worldwide economic uncertainty. Read more
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has restored passenger counts from international and domestic travelers, correcting at least part of the blip in data caused by the pilot program for a digitized agriculture disclosure form. Read more
Volunteers removed about 30 tons of trash during cleanups across Oahu that were organized by the Department of Facility Maintenance Storm Water Quality Division for Earth Month. Read more
Interim HTA President and CEO Caroline Anderson said in a statement Friday that she had placed Isaac Choy, vice president of finance and acting chief administrative officer, on leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Read more
Golden Week, a traditional holiday time for Japanese travelers, attracted more visitors to Hawaii than last year but still brought only about half the volume of 2019. Read more
State Sen. Kurt Fevella called on Gov. Josh Green to seek the resignations of two top state officials from the two main state agencies overseeing tourism on Monday due to allegations of a hostile work environment, which he said included alleged racist and sexist comments against Native Hawaiians. Read more
Former interim HTA president and CEO Daniel Naho’opi’i sent a resignation letter on March 19 to the HTA board alleging that the work environment was “at times, outright hostile.” Read more
The stories from international visitors refused entry are sparking concerns about what travelers can expect at U.S. border crossings, which could further weaken international visitor demand. Read more
At least four conference drafts emerged throughout last week, indicating that Senate and House conferees were engaged in robust discussion. Read more
Alaska Air Group posted weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings Wednesday due to negative impacts of macroeconomic factors on air travel demand. Read more
It is unclear how the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board will deal with concerns over late payments to contractors and state probes to determine whether the agency committed procurement or ethics violations. Read more
The Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau at one time was owed $11 million, and is now owed about $6 million and is pursuing $780,000 in interest for late payments, a state official said. Read more
It was Jason Porter’s first time visiting Hawaii when he crossed the finish line of the Hapalua on Sunday morning, which completed his quest to run a half-marathon in all 50 states. Read more
The financial audit of HTA’s fiscal year 2024 determined that there were procedural deficiencies allowing for free food and rent for events at the Hawaii Convention Center, but it did not issue a finding of fraud. Read more
