The Hawaii Tourism Authority is exploring options for marketing contractors in its core major market areas.
The agency announced Thursday that it is seeking requests for proposals (RFPs) covering leisure and group marketing for the United States, Canada and Japan. The HTA also is seeking a program manager for the global meetings, conventions and incentives market. All four contracts will start Jan. 1.
TO DOWNLOAD RFPS
New RFPs are available to download at hawaiitourismauthority.org/about-hta/rfps. For more information, contact HTA procurement officer Ronald Rodriguez at 1801 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815. Rodriguez also can be reached at 973-2251, or by email at ronald@gohta.net.
The HTA’s marketing contract with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau expires Dec. 31. The HVCB’s most recent North American leisure contract dates from 2013. The HVCB’s contract to handle North American meetings, conventions and incentives dates from 2011.
In the past, the HVCB handled marketing for the United States and Canada under one contract. The HTA plans to split its North America leisure contract into two contracts — one for the U.S. and one for Canada. Both of the new contracts will incorporate meetings, incentives and convention services.
The new contract created by the RFP for Japan will replace the current contract held by A. Link LLC, which goes back to 2012.
“We are committed to using taxpayer funds wisely in marketing tourism for Hawaii,” HTA Chief Operating Officer Randy Baldemor said. “Issuing these four RFPs allows HTA to make improvements in the accountability of how these marketing programs are managed and ensure we are receiving the very best from all of our marketing contractors. This is a continuation of the process we initiated last year with the issuing of RFPs for six international marketing contracts.”
In December, the HTA issued six new contracts worth $6.6 million in hiring new contractors in South Korea, China, Europe and its first contractor for the Southeast Asia market. The HTA retained contractors in Oceania and Taiwan.
The possible changes come at a time when Hawaii’s visitor industry is still going strong. January marked the 11th consecutive month that total visitor arrivals to the state exceeded previous monthly records.
Some 720,997 visitors traveled to the Hawaiian Islands in January, up 6.2 percent compared with the same month last year, according to preliminary statistics released Thursday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. About 239,844 visitors were in the islands on any given day.
