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
Teri Orton, general manager of the convention center, said that only two contractors responded to the center’s request for proposals, and both said the project was a two-year job due to the discovery of more extensive corrosion and rust from deferred maintenance. Read more
Visitor arrivals to Hawaii were lackluster in February and early spring, meaning that there is less momentum heading into the peak summer season. Read more
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The House Finance Committee is moving Senate Bill 1571 forward with a new amendment that requires that the governor appoint the HTA CEO and that the Senate confirm the choice. Read more
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is back in the hot seat with state legislators and the public as it undergoes more leadership shake-ups while dealing with allegations that procedural deficiencies allowed for inappropriate freebies at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Read more
After Hannemann’s resignation today, the board elected former Honolulu City Council chairperson Todd Apo to serve as its new chair. Read more
Akamai Arrival, the pilot program for a digitized agriculture disclosure form, left out the optional tourism questions from the back of the form, creating a blip in the state’s continuous tourism arrivals set that goes back to before the jet age. Read more
The long-awaited Atlantis Resort — a vision that goes back about a decade — is back on the table for Hawaii. Read more
Those suffering from long COVID are still battling the lingering effects of the virus, while those who lost friends or family members to the disease continue to mourn. Read more
Caroline Anderson will be the new interim president and CEO following the resignation of its current interim top leader Daniel Naho’opi’i. Read more
Hawaiian’s flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, reached a tentative deal Friday with voting slated to close April 17. Read more
The Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association recently recognized the best of the state’s hospitality workforce at the 32nd annual Na Po‘e Pa‘ahana Awards, which drew 270 employee nominations from 80 properties across the state. Read more
Trump’s trade policies have whipsawed financial markets and fanned worries over inflation and growth slowdown in the U.S. and in economies across the globe. Read more
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism on Wednesday lowered its economic growth projections for this year on the expectation that tourism growth will slow, consumer inflation will rise, and policy uncertainty will increase at the national and international levels. Read more
Their advocacy effort was upfront at the Hospitality Show: Hawai‘i, which HHA and AHLA put on Thursday in Waikiki. Read more
A year and a half since the devastating Maui wildfires destroyed Lahaina town, Jeremy DelosReyes is still in a dark place. Read more
Biet Thi Ho, a 60-year-old woman, and The Dao, a 59-year-old man, were arrested about 1:10 p.m., according to a Honolulu Police Department booking log. Read more
Firefighters responded to the fire near the 3100 block of Wailea Alanui about 8:16 p.m. Friday. Read more
