Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association

Name

Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association

Legal name

Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association

Website

https://nahha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Hospitality Training and Tourism Services

NAICS

Administrative and Support Services (561), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK)

Keywords

• Cultural competency training
• Hospitality industry consulting
• Native Hawaiian culture
• Small business incubator
• Community capacity building

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting the mission of promoting Hawaiian culture in tourism. Donation page hosted via PayPal.
2. Grants and Government Funding: Funding from Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and other partners. Sponsors include Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Outrigger Hotels, Royal Hawaiian Center, and others.
3. Training Services: Cultural training programs for the visitor industry and beyond. Training curriculums can be customized for businesses and organizations. Pricing not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NaHHA provides cultural competency training, consulting, and project support services to Hawaiʻi's hospitality and tourism industry, using Native Hawaiian values (aloha, hoʻokipa, kuleana) as the foundation. Its offerings include foundational training courses (Hoʻokamaʻāina, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Cultural Values, Wahi Pana), cohort-based programs (Pākōlea business incubator and Kaiāulu Hoʻokipa nonprofit capacity-building program), annual events (Hoʻokipa Hawaiʻi Weekend festival and Ka Huina conference), and volunteer training.

Product overview

The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) offers a portfolio of cultural training programs, community events, and resource services rather than a unified technology product. Core programs include Hoʻokipa Hawaiʻi Weekend (annual cultural festival), the Kaiāulu Hoʻokipa Program (nonprofit capacity building), Pākōlea Program (small business incubator for Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs), and Ka Huina (annual innovation-culture conference). Training offerings encompass Hoʻokamaʻāina (foundational hospitality values), ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi language courses, Wahi Pana cultural place-based sessions, and specialized modules on Aloha, Hoʻokipa, Kuleana, Mahalo, Pono values. Supporting resources include the Kuhikuhi business directory, Maʻemaʻe Toolkit, Hawaiian language learning materials, and Mālama stewardship resources. Programs are delivered through in-person workshops, Zoom webinars, and mobile site visits across Hawaiʻi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pākōlea: Cohort-based small business incubator for early-stage Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs developing consumer packaged goods (CPG), designed to address barriers preventing Native Hawaiian-owned businesses from accessing visitor industry markets.
• Kaiāulu Hoʻokipa Program
• Ka Huina
• Hoʻokipa Hawaiʻi Weekend
• Kuhikuhi Marketplace
• Hoʻokamaʻāina

Products and services

• Ho'okipa Hawai'i Weekend Annual public festival showcasing Hawaiian cultural practitioners, vendors, hula, and live music performances, with the Kuhikuhi Marketplace featuring Native Hawaiian small businesses and the Pākōlea Buyers Showcase connecting cohort participants with industry buyers. Targeted at the general public, hospitality stakeholders, and Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs.
• Kaiāulu Ho'okipa Program Cohort-based program preparing local nonprofits and community organizations practicing authentic Hawaiian cultural experiences to host visitors and access tourism revenue streams. Representatives from 10 community organizations learn operational structures including staffing, insurance, and financial planning. Awarded Social Impact Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by Hawaiʻi Venture Capitalists Association.
• Pākōlea Program Cohort-based small business incubator for early-stage Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs developing consumer packaged goods (CPG) and experiences for the visitor industry marketplace. Supports sustainable, culturally grounded, locally produced products and helps address barriers to retail and distribution. Free to participants; 10 organizations per cohort, twice yearly.
• Ka Huina Conference Annual conference exploring the intersection of community, culture, tourism, and sustainability, featuring panel discussions, specialty speakers, and the Kuhikuhi Marketplace. Designed for hospitality, nonprofit, and community stakeholders engaged with Native Hawaiian tourism.
• Ho'okama'āina Training Foundational 1.5-hour cultural training course sharing the values of hosting in Hawaiʻi (aloha, hoʻokipa, kuleana). Prerequisite for other NaHHA training modules. Delivered virtually via Zoom and in-person; intended for hospitality staff and broader audiences.
• 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Training One-hour introduction to the Hawaiian language, covering the pīʻāpā (8-letter Hawaiian alphabet) and hakalama pronunciation drills. Normalizes Hawaiian language use for creating authentic engagement experiences with visitors and guests.
• Volunteer Training Program Required volunteer training program featuring Ho'okama'āina and Cultural Etiquette in the Pacific modules plus supplemental Hawaiian language courses. Used to onboard volunteers supporting NaHHA's cultural events.
• 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Resources Comprehensive Hawaiian language learning resources including pronunciation guide with audio clips, keyboard installation tutorials for iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows devices, Hawaiian dictionary links, and Maʻemaʻe Toolkit for proper Hawaiʻi terminology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of individuals trained annually through cultural training classes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Purple Mai'a FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Pākōlea program - pilot cohort in 2022 focused on preparing locally owned businesses to distribute products in the visitor industry
• travel2changecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Kaiāulu Ho'okipa program to help Hawai'i nonprofit organizations build capacity to host experiences for visitors
• Ka Mahina ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for mobile workshops on Hawaiian Moon Calendar and cultural astronomy
• Hawai'i Tourism Authority (HTA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment tourism authority providing funding and partnership for programs including Pākōlea and Kaiāulu Ho'okipa
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding through Ho'omohala Kaiāulu Community Economic Development Grant Program for Ho'okipa Hawai'i Weekend event
• Royal Hawaiian CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for training sessions, events, and workshops at 4th Floor Ka Lewa Lānai
• American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational indigenous tourism organization for tribal and native enterprises
• Hawaiian Civic ClubsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of civic organizations preserving and perpetuating Hawaiian culture and values
• Kamehameha SchoolsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in Kuhikuhi business directory initiative
• Ulukau - Hawaiian Electronic LibraryminorOthersResource partner for Hawaiian language and cultural content
• AwaiauluminorOthersResource partner for Hawaiian language and cultural content
• Hawai'i Green GrowthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Mālama Mandate and sustainable development goals

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• Purple Maiʻa Foundation: Hawai'i-based nonprofit supporting Native Hawaiian entrepreneurship and technology education. Purple Mai'a co-developed the pilot Pākōlea cohort with NaHHA, making it a closely aligned ecosystem partner in the same Native Hawaiian economic-development space.
• travel2change: Smaller nonprofit focused on regenerative and impact-driven travel, partnered with NaHHA on the Kaiāulu Ho'okipa program. Comparable as an emerging regenerative-tourism capacity builder for community-based experiences.

Regional players

• Bishop Museum: Hawaii's premier cultural and natural history institution, offering exhibits, programming, and education on Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage. It is a comparable cultural-heritage educator and tourism-facing institution in the same geography.
• ʻIolani Palace: Honolulu-based historic site and museum preserving Hawaiian royal heritage, offering cultural programming and tours. Comparable as a heritage-driven cultural tourism institution in the same geography, and one of NaHHA's Wahi Pana subjects.

Broad incumbents

• Polynesian Cultural Center: O'ahu-based cultural attraction operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showcasing Polynesian cultures through immersive experiences. Board member Keali'i Haverly serves as VP of Projects, Facilities, Cultural Theming & Sustainability there, making it a closely linked cultural tourism operator.
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA): State agency tasked with improving the wellbeing of Native Hawaiians. OHA funds NaHHA's programming and is a core institutional partner, sitting in the broader Hawaiian cultural, economic, and political ecosystem where NaHHA operates.
• Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA): State government agency that funds and co-develops programs with NaHHA (Pākōlea, Kaiāulu Ho'okipa, Ma'ema'e Toolkit). HTA is the broader incumbent governing tourism strategy for the state, of which NaHHA is the cultural counterpart.
• Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB): Private nonprofit that markets Hawai'i as a destination and supports the state's visitor industry. While HVCB focuses on destination marketing versus NaHHA's cultural training, both serve as nonprofit connective tissue across Hawai'i's tourism ecosystem.

Direct peers

• American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA): National nonprofit advancing indigenous cultural tourism across the U.S. AIANTA is a direct peer — NaHHA partners with it and its Executive Director sits on its board, and both organizations operate training, capacity-building, and advocacy programs for native communities in the visitor industry.

Others

• Hawaiian Civic Clubs: Network of community-based civic clubs preserving and perpetuating Hawaiian culture, language, and values. NaHHA's Programs Manager and Executive Director hold leadership roles in the Honolulu club, and the network is a community distribution channel for NaHHA programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nahha808
• Facebookfacebook.com/NaHHA808
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nahha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association