This will be my last “Tourism Matters” column for MidWeek as I step down as the head of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association to pursue a public service endeavor to serve you in Washington, D.C. I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to share my thoughts on travel and tourism, and am grateful for your interest in [...]
Say a warm “aloha” to George Szigeti, who will become the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association’s new president and CEO July 9. He’ll be replacing me at the helm of the association, where I’ve served since January 2011. The HLTA president and CEO directs a nonprofit, statewide trade organization of lodging properties, lodging owners and [...]
In our lifetimes, we’ve seen so many island businesses close their doors. Liberty House, KC Drive-in, McInerny, Canlis and other one-time institutions are only memories. But there’s one island institution that has endured, if not thrived, during this time of change: Outrigger Hotels. The Outrigger story is part of local business folklore, but it’s a [...]
Tourism was front-and-center on the campaign platforms of candidates for U.S. Senate and Honolulu mayor at a recent public forum sponsored by the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA). This was the first Senatorial forum for the 2012 election and we were proud to present it. Senate participants included Republican John Carroll and Democrats Ed [...]
Kudos to everyone in Hawaii’s hospitality industry for your support of the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk. With donations continuing to be received, the 2012 walk has already exceeded last year’s record-breaking total, with $1,371,817 raised as of the May 19 Oahu event. Since its inception in 1978, the Charity Walk has raised more than [...]
Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association’s annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk enjoyed another exceptional year, as the number of walkers and money raised again set new records – with donations continuing to come in. More than 12,000 walkers put their “best slippahs forward” to raise $1,371,955, so far, which will benefit more than 200 nonprofit organizations [...]
While the numbers haven’t been finalized, it appears that the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association’s annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk was another great success for Kaua’i. From the Garden Island, event chairwoman Denise Wardlow, general manager of Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, reported that the May 12 event attracted 2,000 participants from the visitor industry [...]
Hawaii’s famous visitor attraction, Polynesian Cultural Center in La’ie, is getting ready to celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary next year. Few, however, really know its remarkable history. In 1921, only a couple of years after the dedication of the LDS Temple in La’ie, Elder Matthew Cowley returned from his missionary service in New Zealand and [...]
Hawai’i is paradise. Those of us who work in the travel and tourism industry, get to present the beauty of Hawai’i to our visitors and share a daily reaffirmation of what we really have. The individual islands all offer unique experiences and sights seen nowhere else on the planet. Hawai’i ranges from isolated and pristine [...]
Hawai’i has always been considered a “major player” when it comes to the travel and tourism industry. The current trend toward sustainable tourism is something that Hawai’i has done intuitively all along, and we are now on the cusp of being an industry leader for this popular concept. Sustainable tourism lessens the impact on both [...]
