State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
The State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is Hawaii's state government agency coordinating economic development, tourism, housing, energy, technology, and agribusiness across four divisions and 13+ attached agencies, serving the state's population and business community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersHonolulu, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism does
The State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is Hawaii's central state government agency for economic development, founded in 1974 and headquartered at 250 S. Hotel Street in Honolulu. DBEDT is organized into four operational divisions — Business Development & Support, Creative Industries, Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9, and Research & Economic Analysis — and oversees 13+ attached agencies covering tourism (Hawaii Tourism Authority), energy (Hawaii State Energy Office, NELHA, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority), technology (Hawaii Technology Development Corporation), housing (HHFDC), agriculture (Agribusiness Development Corporation), community development (HCDA), culture and arts (SFCA), planning (OPSD), stadium operations (NASED), and land use regulation (Land Use Commission). The department administers the Hawaii Made Program, the Hawaii Film Office, Creative Lab Hawaii, the Foreign-Trade Zone program across 13 sites on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, and the Small Business Regulatory Review Board.
DBEDT's product surface is primarily programmatic and regulatory rather than commercial: it issues economic forecasts, maintains the 800-table State of Hawaii Data Book, publishes the Quarterly Statistical & Economic Report, operates interactive data dashboards across labor, housing, tourism, population, and agriculture sectors, and administers grant, loan, and incentive programs including HTDC's Manufacturing Assistance Program, HSBIR awards, and the GEMS green infrastructure loan program. It has no traditional revenue model, no commercial pricing, and no proprietary technology stack; its core technology is described as "Not applicable" since it is a government service provider.
As a state government department, DBEDT is publicly owned by the State of Hawaii and is led by Director James Kunane Tokioka (appointed May 5, 2023) and Deputy Director Dane K. Wicker. Its customer base is the entire State of Hawaii economy and population across all major islands. In 2025, Hawaii's economy grew 2.5%, exceeding the U.S. rate of 2.1%, and DBEDT projects 1.6% growth for 2026. May 2026 visitor spending reached $1.77 billion (up 5.3% YoY) on 800,554 arrivals (up 3.8% YoY). Recent strategic activity includes the new Okayama Prefecture sister-state agreement (May 2026), the Wahiawa Irrigation System acquisition from Dole (June 2026), and HTDC's multi-million-dollar innovation grant cycle (June 2026).
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
- Legal name
- State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
- Website
- https://dbedt.hawaii.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is Hawaii's state government agency coordinating economic development, tourism, housing, energy, technology, and agribusiness across four divisions and 13+ attached agencies, serving the state's population and business community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Economic Development Services
- NAICS
- Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)
- akta.pro industry
- State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources AdministrationBusiness & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/State/Provincial & Regional Government AdministrationCoastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines)Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration
Keywords
Where State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Honolulu
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hawaii's state-level resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. The department operates four core divisions (Business Development & Support, Creative Industries, Foreign-Trade Zones, and Research & Economic Analysis) and oversees 13+ attached agencies that administer programs in tourism, housing finance, clean energy, technology development, agribusiness, community development, arts, and land use planning.
Product overview
The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is Hawaii's central economic development agency offering a comprehensive suite of programs and services organized into four main divisions (Business Development & Support, Creative Industries, Foreign-Trade Zones, and Research & Economic Analysis) plus 13 attached agencies. The department provides business development support including the Hawaii Made Program, Foreign-Trade Zone administration, and the Small Business Regulatory Review Board. Its Creative Industries Division encompasses the Hawaii Film Office and Creative Lab Hawaii. The Research & Economic Analysis Division maintains extensive data infrastructure including the State of Hawaii Data Book, Quarterly Statistical & Economic Reports, and interactive dashboards. Attached agencies address specific sectors including tourism (Hawaii Tourism Authority), energy (Hawaii State Energy Office, NELHA, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority), technology (HTDC), housing (HHFDC), agriculture (ADC), community development (HCDA), arts (SFCA), planning (OPSD), and stadium operations. The department's offerings span regulatory oversight, financial programs, data analytics, and international trade facilitation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hawaii Made Program: Program promoting Hawaii-made products and food innovation
- Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9
- Hawaii Data Book
- invest.hawaii.gov
- gohawaii.com
Products and services
- Hawaii Made Program
Companies that use State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Japan-America Society of HawaiicoreCo-hosts the annual Hawaii-Japan Sister State & Sister City Summit with DBEDT, bringing together Japanese and Hawaiian officials to explore cooperation in health, tourism, environment, and disaster preparedness. The summit aims to convert diplomatic relationships into actionable policy collaborations.
- Okayama PrefecturecoreSigned new sister state agreement at the Hawaii-Japan Sister Summit, making Okayama Hawaii's seventh Japanese sister state partnership. Aims to strengthen international trade, tourism, and cultural exchange relationships between the regions.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brand USA: National destination marketing organization for the United States. Comparable to DBEDT's international tourism strategy given Hawaii's heavy reliance on international (particularly Japanese) visitors, and the sister state partnerships DBEDT cultivates.
- Visit California: California's state tourism marketing organization. Parallels the Hawaii Tourism Authority attached agency within DBEDT, with similar destination marketing and international visitor development functions.
- Visit Florida: Florida's state tourism marketing corporation. Directly comparable to the Hawaii Tourism Authority within DBEDT for tourism promotion mandate, with similar reliance on visitor spending growth as a key performance metric.
Direct peers
- Oregon Business Oregon: Oregon's state economic development agency covering business recruitment, infrastructure, and innovation. Comparable to DBEDT in mandate and structure, with similar focus on supporting small business, innovation, and international trade.
- Florida Department of Commerce: Florida's state economic development agency combining business recruitment, workforce development, and tourism marketing. Particularly comparable to DBEDT given both states' tourism-dependent economies and similar administrative structures.
- Empire State Development (New York): New York's state economic development agency covering business attraction, innovation, and tourism. Equivalent state-level dual mandate organization to DBEDT with similar portfolio of development tools and affiliated programs.
- Washington State Department of Commerce: Washington's state department administering economic development, housing finance, energy, and international trade programs. Closely mirrors DBEDT's multi-functional structure combining business development, housing, energy, and trade under one administrative umbrella.
- Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT): Colorado's state economic development agency administering business incentives, international trade, and tourism. Comparable to DBEDT in combining business development, tourism, and international trade programming within a single department.
- Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office: Texas's state office combining economic development and tourism promotion functions under a single governmental umbrella. Closely parallels DBEDT's combination of tourism management and business attraction responsibilities.
- California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz): California's state-level economic development agency coordinating business attraction, innovation, and international trade. Directly comparable to DBEDT in mandate type as a state government economic development office, though operating at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism social profiles
Digital presenceState of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries16 records
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
What does State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism do?
Hawaii's state-level resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. The department operates four core divisions (Business Development & Support, Creative Industries, Foreign-Trade Zones, and Research & Economic Analysis) and oversees 13+ attached agencies that administer programs in tourism, housing finance, clean energy, technology development, agribusiness, community development, arts, and land use planning.
Is State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism a public or private company?
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism founded?
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism based?
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism is headquartered in Honolulu, United States, in the North America region.
Who are State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brand USA, Visit California and Visit Florida. Direct peers are Oregon Business Oregon, Florida Department of Commerce, Empire State Development (New York), Washington State Department of Commerce, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office and California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz).
Does State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism have an API?
No public API is recorded for State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
What industry is State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism in?
State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism's product category is Government Economic Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIABAL, State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration, with a secondary code of BPAIAMAI, Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines). Its NAICS code is 9241.