Nearly 460 volunteers take part in cleanups across Oahu
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
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
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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
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
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