Hawaii Tourism Authority

What Hawaii Tourism Authority does

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority (HTA) is the official state tourism agency for the State of Hawai'i, established in 1998 by legislative act under Chapter 201B of the Hawai'i Revised Statutes and administratively attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). The agency is responsible for protecting and promoting the Hawai'i destination brand, conducting tourism research, supporting Hawaiian cultural preservation, and managing tourism impacts through four strategic pillars: Natural Resources, Hawaiian Culture, Community, and Brand Marketing. HTA is governed by a 12-member advisory board of directors under Act 132 SLH2025 and is led on an interim basis by Caroline Anderson (President & CEO / Director of Planning) while a permanent CEO search is underway.

HTA's core operations span three areas: (1) global brand marketing through a Global Marketing Team of contracted marketing organizations covering the U.S., Japan, Canada, Oceania, Europe, Korea, China, and Taiwan, supported by consumer-facing platforms gohawaii.com and meethawaii.com; (2) destination management and stewardship, delivered through Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs), regenerative tourism development programs, the Maui Community Tourism Collaboratives, and Community Enrichment Program (CEP), Kūkulu Ola, and Signature Events funding; and (3) research and data dissemination via Symphony Dashboards, monthly visitor statistics, and brand health tracking, supplemented by cultural resource tools including the Qurator certification, Ma'ema'e Toolkit, and Digital Asset Library (Knowledge Bank). HTA also operates the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu as a wholly-owned state venue, currently undergoing a major rooftop renovation completing November 2027 with reopening scheduled January 2028.

The authority is funded through state legislative appropriations and the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) — not through commercial customer revenue — making it a public-sector coordinator rather than a commercial enterprise. Its customer base is functionally stakeholder-oriented: inbound mindful travelers, meeting/convention planners served through Meet Hawai'i, four island visitor bureaus (Island of Hawai'i, Maui, O'ahu, Kaua'i), and a broad ecosystem of tourism industry businesses and nonprofits supported through grant programs. The Ho'oilina Scholarship program has invested over $1 million since 2019 in workforce development for the visitor industry.

Name

Hawaii Tourism Authority

Legal name

Hawai'i Tourism Authority

Website

https://hawaiitourismauthority.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority is the official state tourism agency for Hawai'i, established in 1998, responsible for promoting the Hawai'i destination brand globally, managing destination stewardship, conducting tourism research, and operating the Hawai'i Convention Center — funded by state appropriations and the Transient Accommodations Tax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Authority and Destination Marketing

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management (BPAJAGAG), Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism management
• Convention services
• Visitor research
• Destination stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: HTA operates as a state government agency funded through legislative appropriations from the State of Hawai'i. The agency was established in 1998 through a legislative act.
2. Hawai'i Convention Center Operations: Revenue generated from operating the Hawai'i Convention Center including venue rentals, event services, and related facilities management. The center is undergoing major renovation with completion expected November 2027 and reopening January 2028.
3. Tourism Industry Support: HTA annually provides funding to dozens of nonprofit programs supporting Hawaiian culture, natural resources protection, and community traditions. Programs include Signature Events, Community Enrichment Program (CEP), and Kūkulu Ola initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is the official state tourism agency for Hawaii, responsible for managing and promoting the Hawaiian Islands as a destination. It executes global brand marketing campaigns across major source markets, develops island-specific Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs), funds destination stewardship and community programs, conducts visitor research and data analytics, operates the state-owned Hawaii Convention Center, and offers certification and resource programs for the visitor industry.

Product overview

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is the official state tourism agency for Hawaii, established in 1998, responsible for managing Hawaii's iconic brand through four interconnected program areas: Brand Marketing (global promotion targeting mindful travelers through regional Global Marketing Teams), Destination Management Action Plans (island-specific collaborative plans addressing tourism impacts), Destination Stewardship Programs (including regenerative tourism, visitor experiences, workforce development, and sports partnerships), and Research/Dashboards (Symphony analytics, visitor statistics, and economic impact data). Supporting programs include Qurator certification, Ma'ema'e Toolkit cultural resources, Digital Asset Library, the Hawai'i Convention Center venue, the annual Hawaii Tourism Conference, and the Ho'oilina Scholarship. The organization operates as a government agency under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 201B, not as a commercial technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Marketing Program
• Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs)
• Destination Stewardship Programs
• Hawaii Tourism Conference

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Island of Hawai'i Visitors BureaucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional visitor bureau representing the Island of Hawai'i. Contact: Scott Pauli, Executive Director. Serves as local tourism resource and marketing partner for the island.
• Maui Visitors and Convention BureaucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional visitor bureau for Maui, Lāna'i, and Moloka'i. Contact: Sherry Duong, Executive Director. Supports tourism marketing and visitor services for the Maui Nui islands.
• O'ahu Visitors BureaucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional visitor bureau for O'ahu. Contact: Noelani Schilling-Wheeler, Executive Director. Primary tourism marketing partner for O'ahu.
• Kaua'i Visitors BureaucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional visitor bureau for Kaua'i. Contact: Sue Kanoho, Executive Director. Local tourism marketing and visitor services for Kaua'i.
• Meet Hawai'i (MCI Contractor)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHTA's Global MCI Contractor for Meetings, Conventions, and Incentives sector. Works to secure MCI group business with focus on the Hawai'i Convention Center and citywide convention growth.
• KilohanacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers HTA's 'Umeke portal for Community Partnership Programs applications including Signature Events, Community Enrichment Program, and Kūkulu Ola initiatives.
• Maui Community Tourism CollaborativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based program supporting Maui's recovery from COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 fires, and recent Kona low storm impacts. Includes Community Stewardship (CTC-CS) and Regenerative Experiences (CTC-RE) cohorts running July-October 2026.
• DBEDT (Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHTA is administratively attached to DBEDT. DBEDT's Tourism Research Branch provides visitor statistics, tourism forecasts, daily passenger counts, and tourism dashboard data.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brand USA: The United States' national destination marketing organization - complementary rather than directly competitive with HTA; the two co-promote inbound international travel to the U.S. and partner on international marketing campaigns.

Direct peers

• Visit California: California's official state tourism marketing organization, directly comparable to HTA as a state-level DMO funded by tourism-business assessments and responsible for destination promotion, research, and partnership programs across multiple international markets.
• Visit Florida: Florida's official state tourism marketing corporation - structurally parallel to HTA with similar responsibilities for destination promotion, research publications, and partnership marketing across international markets under a public-private DMO model.
• Visit Orlando: Orlando's DMO combining destination marketing with a strong conventions and meetings sales effort - directly comparable to HTA's dual remit of leisure promotion and MCI group business for a flagship convention venue.
• Choose Chicago: Chicago's official DMO responsible for tourism promotion and convention sales - highly comparable to HTA's brand marketing and MCI functions, though at a city rather than state level.
• NYC Tourism + Conventions: New York City's official destination marketing organization that runs the city's tourism brand, conventions bureau, and visitor research - functionally parallel to HTA's combination of brand marketing, MCI sales, and data reporting.
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA): The closest structural analog to HTA: a destination marketing organization that also operates a major convention center and is funded by room-tax revenue, combining global leisure promotion with MCI sales and destination stewardship.

Regional players

• Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO): Japan's national tourism organization responsible for international destination promotion, including active marketing in the U.S. - relevant as a counterpart that HTA engages with in Japan and that competes for the same Japanese outbound traveler.
• Tourism New Zealand: New Zealand's national tourism organization operating under a similar mandate of international destination marketing, research, and partnership programs - structurally comparable but serving a different geography.
• VisitBritain: Britain's national tourism agency with international marketing, partnership, and research functions very similar to HTA's remit - comparable in structure though serving a different continent's destination and competing for overlapping long-haul traveler segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HawaiiHTA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HawaiiHTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HawaiiHTA
• Instagraminstagram.com/HawaiiHTA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaii Tourism Authority