Hawaii Seeks Overhaul of Tourism Authority
Hawaii Governor Josh Green appears to be cleaning house at the state's tourism authority after calling it a "hot mess." An overhaul gives the state the chance to pioneer a new tourism model.
State lawmakers slammed Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) for poor financial management and effectiveness Monday, and Governor Josh Green will reportedly ask all board members to resign by July 1.
'Governor Green plans on asking for courtesy resignations from the entire board," said a statement for his office, according to Hawaii News Now. "Because the responsibilities of the board have changed to an advisory role, he feels it best to start with a clean slate."
Green signed legislation May 31 that stripped the HTA's board of its policy and management authority, reclassifying it as an advisory body.
'Well, it's a hot mess over there,' Green said on Hawaii News Now Sunrise following the bill's passage. 'I'm going to put in some advisors that are going to be a lot more thoughtful about how we proceed.'
HTA's board no longer controls day-to-day operations. The restructuring places the agency's CEO role under direct gubernatorial oversight, a significant departure from the typical U.S. destination marketing organization model.
The governor's office did not respond to two requests for comment from Skift.
HTA's longtime director of planning and interim CEO, Caroline Anderson, told Skift earlier this month that the new legislation creates 'a direct reporting relationship between HTA's President and CEO and the Governor,' which she sees as an opportunity to "enhance the impact and responsiveness of Hawaii's tourism efforts."
Under Pressure, Underperforming
During a six-hour legislative hearing Monday, some Hawaii lawmakers proposed moving the authority into one or two existing government agencies as a way to restructure state's oversight of tourism.
Another proposal was to adopt the recommendations of a third-party governance study released a year ago by Better Destinations, a consultancy, that called for replacing the HTA with a private, independent nonprofit "destination stewardship organization."
State lawmakers have previously criticized HTA for failing to pivot from a visitor growth model to one focused on managing tourism's impact.
The state in May became the first in the nation to approve a so-called 'green fee' on visitors, applying to hotel stays, cruise ship cabins, and short-term rentals. The measure is expected to raise about $100 million annually, with revenue supporting disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation.
Hawaii's tourism sector continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. The downturn was compounded by the 2023 wildfires in Maui, one of the deadliest disasters in U.S. history, and confusion among travelers, many of whom believed the island was closed to visitors.
In an interview with Skift last year, Green framed 2025 as a year for 'deployment' of resources to support tourism recovery.
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