HI HR141

Request Hawaii Tourism Authority to develop an implementation plan addressing tourism hot spots (overcrowded areas causing resource degradation and safety hazards) identified in County Destination Management Action Plans.

Implementation plan must compile and prioritize issues from each island's Destination Management Action Plan, determine necessary resources and staffing for multi-year stakeholder discussions, and establish personnel descriptions or consultant scopes of work.

Plan must clarify Hawaii Tourism Authority's role in securing and distributing resources, monitoring island-level progress, measuring outcomes, and develop a recommended implementation timetable.

Hawaii Tourism Authority must submit the implementation plan, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2022 Regular Session convenes.

Resolution cites tourism's economic importance ($17 billion in 2018 visitor spending) and declining resident support for tourism (from 80% to 54% between 2010-2020), with COVID-19 providing opportunity to restructure tourism management practices.