HI HB1296

Establishes the Hawaii Tourism Task Force within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to address 21st-century concerns and needs of the tourism industry.

Task force shall address tour guide certification programs, restroom access for tourists, public service announcements, Aloha Spirit promotion, scenic area evaluation, and infrastructure maintenance coordination.

Task force membership includes the DBEDT director (chair), Governor, Honolulu Mayor, Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO, Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association CEO, two Hawaiian cultural specialists, two tourism industry representatives, and a University of Hawaii travel industry management professor.

Task force meets quarterly, members serve without compensation, and shall submit a report with findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2019 regular session.

Task force is dissolved on July 1, 2019, and is exempt from Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 92 (open meetings law).