A Waikīkī hotel executive will lead a team to help the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement fulfill its new duties of marketing Hawaiʻi to American visitors.
The CNHA on Tuesday announced Douglas Chang will lead its Kilohana Collective’s transition team.
According to CNHA, the team is a collaboration of 13 travel industry experts and community members that will fulfill the recently awarded Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority marketing contract for the U.S.
In addition to Chang, the transition team includes Hawaiʻi Community Foundation CEO Micah Kane, visitor industry consultant and former HTA Vice President Frank Haas, and former Hawaiian Airlines Senior Vice President Ann Botticelli.
As chair, Chang will lead efforts to find and recruit the collective’s executive director, and create the scope of work for its partners.
Chang is the general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Waikīkī and serves on the board of directors for the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.
He brings nearly 40 years of experience in the tourism industry and previously served as the chair of HTA.
The Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau lost the U.S. marketing contract earlier this month and is appealing the HTA’s decision to award it to CNHA. The contract is worth roughly $34 million.