HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority has awarded grants to several local environmental and cultural organizations in a bid to preserve natural areas and enhance the role of Native Hawaiians in the industry.
After eliminating grants last year because of pandemic budget constraints, the agency recently awarded more than $3 million through its Kūkulu Ola and Aloha ʻĀina grants.
In partnership with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority distributed money to more than a dozen organizations.
Some of the projects being launched through the funding include the building of a Hawaiian hale on trust lands on Oʻahu, the restoration of a traditional fishpond and water system on Maui, and the commissioning of a mural depicting powerful Native Hawaiian wahine on Kauaʻi.
The tourism authority is marketing Hawaiʻi as a place where people can come for more sustainable forms of tourism that put an emphasis on local and Indigenous cultures and the restoration or preservation of natural areas
