State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

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).

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

Product category

Government Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business development support
• Tourism management
• Foreign trade zones
• State economic planning

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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core 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

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Japan-America Society of HawaiicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Co-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 PrefecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Signed 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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/hawaiidata
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-FiFirIZ8blU9j-hbrL6gw
• Facebookfacebook.com/dbedt.higov
• Instagraminstagram.com/dbedt.invest.hawaii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-state-energy-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries16 records

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 State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism