"We need to be managing tourists better, and we are not going to be back to 2019 numbers anytime soon. "For Hawaii as a whole, I think this pandemic has been a wake-up call," Rafter said. In January, the HTA released a five-year strategic plan built around four pillars: natural resources, Hawaiian culture, community and brand marketing. To address areas of potential overcrowding or conflicts between visitors and residents, the HTA is leading a process to develop plans with a range of state agencies as well as with community input, De Fries said.
In the last few years, elected officials, community organizations and industry analysts have argued that the HTA needed to address destination management as much as destination marketing. So it's incumbent on HTA to help redefine this notion of 'we' as the industry and the community together, seamlessly." "The truth is that everything is bricks and mortar until the community is involved. "I also have responsibility as a community advocate," De Fries said. Prior to the pandemic, surveys showed residents souring on tourism in the face of overcrowding and higher housing costs. Orbiting on the periphery of the crisis is a larger reckoning for Hawaii tourism.
"It will take a lot of legwork to restore trust with our partners and the traveling public as we compete for folks who want to travel in 2020," he said.
"The standards set by each industry are just the starting line, and the hotels, restaurants, airlines and other businesses have to be committed to exceeding it, refining it and making it better."Įchoing the sentiment, Hawaii Tourism and Lodging Association president Mufi Hannemann said the industry is prepared, but he expects some trial and error. "The system is going to be tested, and we have to be paying attention and be responsive to it," he said. He has reviewed the safety protocols from various industry associations, including hotels and restaurants, and called them "incredibly high." But he added that it is crucial for Hawaii to keep its Covid-19 infection rate stable, or people will not risk traveling to the Islands. The state's tourism site,, hosts a flowchart for testing procedures, and the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau is working on a "Malama Hawaii" campaign offering one night's complimentary stay in exchange for participation in a volunteer activity.ĭe Fries' chief concerns for the pretravel testing program are the quality and availability of testing and the wild card of human behavior. In his first weeks, De Fries has held meetings with the HTA's marketing partner organizations for mainland U.S., Canada, South Korea, Japan and Oceania. 2 and 44 by Thanksgiving week, three weeks later. The buildup is slated to reach 41 routes by the week of Nov. At the HTA, De Fries has centered his agenda around the concept of malama, meaning "to nurture" or "care for."Ĭarriers are scheduled to connect a combined 29 city pairs between Hawaii and the U.S. Nevada's biggest feeder market is the California drive market, but the Islands depend on long-haul flights to deliver visitors.ĭe Fries, the first Native Hawaiian to be named CEO of the HTA, grew up in Waikiki and was previously director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association and president of consulting and project management firm Native Sun Business Group. states, only Nevada is more dependent on tourism, but Hawaii's isolation has become a factor, as well. The program, which would enable visitors to bypass a strict 14-day quarantine if they test negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of arrival, would be the state's first major step toward reviving its economy. "Not only for me, frankly, but for the entire industry." "It's a vertical learning curve," De Fries said. John De Fries took the reins of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) one month, almost to the day, before this week's planned launch of a pretravel program that is crucial to the state's tourism reboot. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.Questions and answers about the DOT's refund rule for agencies I understand that, under the DOT's proposed rule, agencies would be responsible for making refunds when the airline cancels or.Focus on theme parks pays off for agencies A second Disney-focused agency joined Travel Weekly's Power List this year.Getting serious about sustainability During a recent Africa Travel Week webinar, industry players pointed to signs that the trade, suppliers and travelers have.Cruise lines grapple with the 'summer of lost luggage' Navigating flight and luggage issues proved to be a major challenge for Norwegian Cruise Line, prompting it to grow its air.